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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27938548">Executive Decision</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpleaesthetic/pseuds/Purpleaesthetic'>Purpleaesthetic</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst but mainly fluff, Azula is an abused kid just like Zuko, Big Brother Sokka (Avatar), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, First Kiss, For a high school AU they aren't really in school, Halloween Costumes, I Tried, I'm Bad At Summaries, Jealous Zuko (Avatar), Jet doesn't deserve a redemption arch, Mentions of Racism, Motorcycle Zuko is mentioned, Mutual Pining, POV Third Person, Random Beach Episode, Slow Burn, Spin the Bottle, Swearing, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), The gaang are all Jocks, Their VW van is named Appa, They are all dumb teenagers, This isn't realistic in the slightest so don't expect it to be, Underage Drinking, Zuko and Katara are king and queen of late night chats, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko plays the guitar, Zuko tries to be a good brother, mentions of abuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:20:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>41,470</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27938548</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpleaesthetic/pseuds/Purpleaesthetic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The gang has a rule, they vote on whoever is let into the group, but everyone has one Executive Decision, someone they can bring into the group, no questions asked. When Sokka uses his Executive Decision on Zuko, the son of the rival school's Dean, chaos ensues. Katara hates him at first, but how long until someone catches feelings?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aang &amp; Toph Beifong, Aang/Katara (Unrequited), Azula &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Katara &amp; Suki (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka &amp; Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), The Gaang &amp; Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>133</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Before you read this, you should probably know some things: A lot of characters are different from their character in the show. This is due to the fact that a lot of their circumstances are different because it's set in a different world. For example:<br/>-Azula is really different. Since there is no power to have, her father has no reason to groom her<br/>-Since Azula is different, her relationship with Ty Lee is different<br/>-Her relationship with Zuko is in a better place because Azula is different as well as the fact that they are living together when Zuko's 'redemption arch' starts<br/>-A lot of Zuko's redemption happens before the story starts, and his scar and mom's death have a different origin<br/>-Since there is no 100-year war, this means Lu Ten is alive, Katara doesn't blame the fire nation for her mother's death, and Aang's culture isn't wiped out<br/>-Aang is adopted by Gyatso, but he's never around<br/>-Some of the characters don't go to their 'nations' high school. For example, most of the kids go to Ba Sing Se, but Katara and Sokka are still from the Southern Water Tribe. This was more of a way to have everyone go to the same school<br/>Sorry for the long note, but just a couple of quick things I want to mention. I know nothing about the sport I wrote about, and the story is far from realistic, so take a lot of it with a grain of salt</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Katara’s life <em> used </em> to be simple. Growing up,  she didn’t have many friends, of course she still played with kids in her neighborhood and stuff, but she didn’t consider any of them <em> friends</em>. She always had one best friend though, and that was her older brother, Sokka. Determined and funny Sokka, who was always by her side, and they stayed that way for a long time. Just the two of them. Then, in sixth grade, Katara, starting to realize that she should have a friend that isn’t her brother, met Aang. He was a shorter kid, with a buzzcut who was incredibly fast and funny. </p><p> </p><p>She couldn’t necessarily explain what it was about him that drew her to him, but before she knew it, they were best friends, and after school, Katara introduced her new friend to Sokka. The two didn’t immediately hit it off, in fact, Sokka kinda hated Aang at first, after all, he was stealing his little sister away. Less than a week into their friendship, he realized that he wasn’t being replaced, they were simply adding another person to their duo. Then it was just the three of them.</p><p> </p><p>Middle school was interesting, to say the least, but it was still simple. People kept coming and leaving their friend group, but in the end, it was always the three of them. Aang invited Meng to join, but she hated Katara for stealing all of Aang’s attention, so that didn’t last long. Sokka invited his kinda-but-not-really girlfriend Yue to join, but she ended up moving less than a month in. The summer of seventh grade Katara invited a friend from volleyball camp, Suki, but once school started, it was impossible for her to hang out since she went to a different school. Around eighth grade, Katara tried to get the group to accept the new boy at school, Jet, and an argument broke out.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t trust him.” Sokka puts simply when Katara brings it up on their weekly Saturday hangout. Every Saturday, the group goes to Aang’s huge house, because his adoptive dad is always away on some business trip and the pantry is always stocked to the brim with goodies. It also helps that Aang has a big fluffy dog named Appa and a cute, big-eared cat named Momo.</p><p> </p><p>“And? You don’t trust any guys I wanna hang out with!” She fires back, throwing a popcorn kernel at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Besides, you already bought one failed person into the group, so no more for you!”<br/><br/></p><p>“Oh please! You <em> loved </em>Suki and you know it, it’s not my fault she can’t hang out because of her dumb boarding school!”</p><p> </p><p>Sokka turned beet red as he slammed his hands on the table, “I did not <em> love </em>her-”</p><p> </p><p>“And it’s not like I’m the only one who’s brought in people that didn’t work out-”</p><p> </p><p>“Guys!” Aang yelled, entering the game room with a stack of movies in one hand and a six-pack of coke in the other. “I think I have a solution,” The two siblings only grumble in agreement as they let the youngest (“I’m only six months younger than you!”, “Whatever you say kiddo”) speak. “What if everyone gets one person that they can invite, no questions from anyone in the group, then everyone else, we just vote on. But you only get <em> one </em>person, at least until we’re in college. Deal?” </p><p> </p><p>The group all size each other up, waiting for someone to step out and object. No such thing happens. And thus the Executive Decision is born.</p><p> </p><p>“So Aang,” Katara starts partway through their movie, turning on the couch so that she’s facing him. “What do you think of Jet?”</p><p> </p><p>“No.” His eyes never leave the car chase that’s playing out on the screen.</p><p> </p><p>Anger boils inside of her, and before she knows it, the words tumble out of her mouth, “I’m using my Executive Decision, Jet is joining!” It’s enough to make them pause the movie.</p><p> </p><p>“Katara, are you sure? If you use this now, you’ll have to wait another five years to use it again,” Aang tries to reason with her, but her mind has been made, and all three know that there’s no going back.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure, I have a good feeling about him.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s a beat of silence before the play button is pushed, “We’ll invite him next Saturday.”</p><p> </p><p>She regrets that decision for a very long time. She tries to tell herself that the Executive Decision is dumb and that someone shouldn’t be in the party if they can’t agree on it. She finds out she’s wrong soon enough, and in the end, she’s really happy about the rule. </p><p> </p><p>The trio ends up going to a private school called Ba Sing Se High, but everyone just calls it the Earth Kingdom. The group quickly find their footing at the school, especially because Sokka had already been there a year while Aang and Katara were still in middle school. Freshman year is eventful, but still normal, and they get two new additions. Suki ends up transferring out of Unagi Academy for Girls to Ba Sing Se her Sophomore year, and she’s welcomed in with open arms. It takes her and Sokka a month to start dating.</p><p> </p><p>The group, despite their young age, all end up joining a varsity sport that year. Sokka joins the school’s fencing, soccer, and the chess team, after all, he’d been training to be a fencer since he was a kid. Ever since he claimed that he wanted to be a samurai warrior, their parents found him the closest possible thing. Both Suki and Katara joined the volleyball team, the two becoming unstoppable duo because of their years at camp together. Katara also joins tennis, and the swim team, quickly becoming the team’s fastest swimmer, and continues to dominate in surfing during their summer breaks. Meanwhile, Suki takes a liking to gymnastics, even though it’s not her favorite, it helps her with martial arts, which she masters outside of school. And then there’s Aang. You see Aang is a star player on the soccer team, the track team, basketball, and the football team. Many call him a child protege, and they would be right, he’s incredibly fast and agile, which makes him one of the school’s most valued players.</p><p> </p><p>The group’s quick rise up the ranks leads them to discover two things, one, they are not the only underclassmen who were proteges, and two, there is a bitter rivalry between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation. Firstly, they learn about Toph, a blind Freshman who is known as the best wrestler in the state. Aang and her quickly bond over their status and similar experiences, despite the fact that their complete opposites, and he uses his Executive Decision to invite her into the group. She’s welcomed with less open arms and more crossed arms and clenched fists. Toph and Katara clash almost immediately, but in the end, Toph becomes a part of the group that no one would ever let go of, not even Katara.</p><p> </p><p>Then there’s the rivalry between the two schools. You see Ba Sing Se High’s closest school is another private school, Sozin High, or as everyone called it, the Fire Nation, and they have quite a few proteges themselves, specifically the royal siblings. Sophomore Zuko and Freshman Azula’s dad is the Dean of the school, so the two were quickly dubbed the prince and princess of fire. Zuko absolutely dominated soccer, basketball, and fencing, all while being the president of the cooking club. Azula, on the other hand, was a master at volleyball, the chess team captain, got the lead in every play, and did martial arts outside of school. Needless to say, the group took the rivalry a little too seriously.</p><p> </p><p>Sokka didn’t care about any specific person, he was just constantly talking about ‘destroying the Fire Nation’ and Toph didn’t care who she was fighting, as long as she got to kick someone’s ass. Katara and Suki took it deadly seriously. Katara and Suki made it their personal vendetta to take Azula down a peg and wipe that snide smirk off her face. Aang wouldn’t have cared about the rivalry, until he played the Fire Nation in his first soccer match, and found out that player 01, the famous prince Zuko, had it out for him. Ever since, if the two play a game together, the friendly competition turns bloody. If the two saw each other in public, it takes the entire group to make sure a fistfight won’t break out in the middle of whatever public place they happened to cross in. </p><p> </p><p>They exist like this for a while, the five of them together, hanging out every Saturday. It’s nice, it’s simple and most importantly, it makes Katara happy. So, needless to say, it doesn’t last. Because partway through her Sophomore year, her life gets <em> very </em> complicated.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Almost Golden</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Zuko meets the gang and joins them for their Saturday hang out. Needless to say, Katara is not happy about it</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At the beginning of March of her Sophomore year, Katara’s life is thrown into chaos, as if her life wasn’t stressful enough before. The volleyball season was coming to end, and Ba Sing Se was a mere three weeks from facing Sozin High in the championship. She and Suki had been working their asses off for months to get here and victory was so close they could taste it. Since they got into the championship, they were having extra practice on Saturdays, which normally wouldn’t have been a problem, but Sokka’s first fencing tournament was at the same time. Originally both girls were going to skip practice, but he insisted it was fine.</p><p> </p><p>“No, no <em> way </em> you guys are skipping this. Not only do you guys practically make the team, but you need that extra practice to kick the Fire Nation’s ass. Don’t worry, I’ll fill you guys in on every detail at Aang’s after.” You see, as stubborn as Katara is, Sokka is equally strong-willed. Suki often talked about how seeing the two argue is like a real-life version of an unstoppable force vs an immovable object. So Suki dropped Sokka off in the gang's van, kissing him goodbye and wishing him luck before taking both the girls to practice. </p><p> </p><p>The group's van was a gift from Aang’s dad, but since he only had a learner’s permit, Suki and Sokka drove it all the time. The retro Volkswagen camper was white with a long blue arrow starting at the back and ending with the head right beneath the shining ‘VW’ symbol. The camper was affectionately named Appa after Aang’s dog, who sports a similar arrow on his head. The interior was absolutely destroyed, as expected since for the past year or so it had been a group of rowdy teenagers only form of transport. Filled with stains of fast food and sticky soda spills, and the distant smell of sweat covered up with air freshener. </p><p> </p><p>But the most important thing is in the backseat, which walls are covered in Sharpie drawings from everyone in the group. It was decided that only permanent members got to make their mark, so originally it was filled with Sokka, Aang, and Katara’s drawings, but when the year started Toph and Suki were allowed to mark it too. There’s a clear space, uncovered by the multicolored markings of waves and swords, and fans, and rocks, and clouds. It’s just waiting to be filled, but no one dares touch it. Just in case, in case they meet another permanent member, someone important.</p><p> </p><p>Katara lays in the backseat, tracing the various markings as they wait outside of the venue for Sokka. Suki sits in the front, switching between songs on her phone, the two are both peacefully quiet, their friendship so strong that the silence doesn’t need to be filled. They missed Sokka’s matches already, so there’s really no need to go inside, they can’t talk to him anyway, so they just wait.</p><p> </p><p>“There he is!” Suki yells, already opening the door and running out to meet him. Katara isn’t far behind, but she flatters as she gets closer, unlike Suki who runs straight into his arms. The thing is, it isn’t just Sokka who walks out, no, he’s currently talking to another guy. The other teenager has short, shaggy dark hair, and she would be lying if she said that he’s not attractive. But the thing that catches her attention is the scar that takes up half of the left side of his face and the flame-colored shirt he’s wearing, the crest of the Fire Nation shown proudly on his chest. Zuko, the prince of fire, player 01, and Aang's enemy. And Sokka’s talking to him like they’re best friends. </p><p> </p><p>Katara walks up to her brother, glaring at Zuko the entire time. As she gets closer, he looks sheepish, like he wants to make a run for it. Finally, she tears her eye’s away from Zuko to smile at Sokka, her pride trumping her hatred for the teen next to her. “How did you do?”</p><p> </p><p>“So good, you would be proud!  I kicked some major ass, even nabbed silver!” He flaunts the silver medal as he smirks arrogantly. He finally manages to pry Suki off him to hug his sister, but even as she hugs him, she can’t help but notice the gold disk hanging around Zuko’s neck. A little bit of rage finds its way beneath her skin, but she chooses to swallow it. When they finally pull away, Sokka keeps one arm around her and slings the other around Suki before talking again, “Katara, Suki, this is Zuko. I passed most of the time I wasn’t competing by talking to him. He’s so good he even beat me!”</p><p> </p><p>“It was a close match,” The fire prince objects, clearly feeling very awkward with the current situation. <em> Good </em>, that little pocket of rage whispers.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, we’ll tell you all about it on the way to Aang’s.” Her brother's words feel like a punch to the jut. <em> He couldn’t possibly mean- </em></p><p> </p><p>“We?” Both Katara and Suki say it at the same time, but their voices carry very different emotions. While both sounded curious, Suki’s wasn’t dipped in as much hate as Katara’s was.</p><p> </p><p>“Yea, I invited him to Aang’s to hang out with us today. Plus I guilted him into teaching me this really cool move he did in our match-” </p><p> </p><p>“Suki, would you mind showing Zuko Appa? I have to talk to my brother for a second.” The two siblings stare at each other, neither willing to look away. Anyone who knew the siblings could see an argument was brewing, and not one you want to get caught in the crosshairs of.</p><p> </p><p>She pauses for a second, eyebrows raised, but then she sees their expressions. “Sure, come on Zuko, you’re gonna love our van.” She quickly pulls Zuko away, the two running off before the inevitable explosion goes off.<br/><br/></p><p>“Did you have to be so rude?”</p><p> </p><p>“Rude? He’s <em> lucky </em> I was that nice! Come on Sokka, this is Zuko we’re talking about! The last time you guys played together, Zuko nearly broke Aang’s leg and he hit you in the face! And what? You’re just gonna let him watch movies with us like none of that matters?” Her voice raises, and she gets a couple of looks from passing parents and teens, but she can’t bring herself to care.</p><p> </p><p>“C’mon Katara, it comes with being a goalie, it wasn’t like he was <em> aiming </em>for my face. Plus we talked most of the tournament, and you know besides him being Fire Nation, he’s pretty cool. A little awkward, yea, but he’s cool.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry. Next time he and Aang nearly get in a fight at <em> The Jasmine Dragon </em> , I’ll let Aang know that he’s <em> pretty cool. </em>I’m sure that will fix everything!”</p><p> </p><p>“Katara, his dad isn’t coming to pick him up! He’s going to be stranded here for hours because his father ‘has business’! He had no one there. He was completely alone except for his uncle, who texted him the entire time. He asked me to record his matches so he could send it to him, that's why we started talking.”</p><p> </p><p>His words help extinguish the growing rage in her stomach, and she looks back at him, watching as Suki helps him get his bag in the trunk as they talk. He looks calmer now, much less awkward without her glaring at him the entire time.  “Aang will never go for it, and I’m sorry, but I disagree with you on this one. You’re outvoted.” As she speaks, the words are softer, weighed down by pity.</p><p> </p><p>“I know, it’s why I’m using my Executive Decision.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Sokka never made light of the group's old pack. He had said, multiple times, that he was saving it for someone important. She didn’t doubt that if they all hadn’t agreed on Suki, he would have used it for her. Why he would waste it on <em> him</em>, she had zero clue.</p><p> </p><p>“You heard me, you’re my witness. Now, let’s go, I don’t wanna keep the other’s waiting.” He started pulling her towards the van, and she felt something in her chest. Something heavy and important, like there was no going back after this moment. But looking at her brother sling his arm around Zuko’s shoulders and say some dumb fencing pun that she didn’t get, she decided that they would be fine. She chose to ignore the feeling she gets in her stomach when Zuko laughs at Sokka’s antics.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Katara and Zuko sit in the middle row as they both choose to ignore the fact that Suki and Sokka aren’t just ‘putting his fencing equipment in the trunk’. He looks amazed as he stares at the destroyed interior of the camper, eyes lingering on the marker covered backseat before coming back to Katara and softening.</p><p> </p><p>“I-I wanted to apologize, about Aang. I know on the soccer field I could be kinda uh,-” </p><p> </p><p>“Cruel?” She supplies, arms crossed as she turns in her seat to face him.</p><p> </p><p>“I was gonna say drastic, but uh, yeah, that too.” He scratches behind his neck and for a second, she has to remember that she hates him, because that seemed to be overshadowed by the fact that her brain hates her and keeps calling him cute.</p><p> </p><p> “You shouldn’t be apologizing to <em> me</em>, you should be apologizing to <em> Aang. </em>”</p><p> </p><p>“And I will!” He rushes out, clearly scrambling for words, trying to say the right thing. “I just figured since your his girlfriend and all-”</p><p> </p><p>“Woah! Aang is not my <em> boyfriend</em>! We’re just friends!” She’s aware she sounds super defensive, and honestly, it’s a sore subject. You see, Katara had the bad luck of having Meng, from middle school, in her English class this year. On the first day back from winter break, Aang had walked her to class before heading off to his own, and it prompted Meng to say something that really rattled her. <em> You should really stop stringing him along, he so </em> <b> <em>obviously </em> </b> <em> likes you</em>. Katara had never seen Aang as anything more than a friend, it was like he was her little brother or something. And the idea of losing him because she didn’t return his feelings scared her more than anything.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, I just thought, I mean I just assumed that-”</p><p> </p><p>“Listen, Zuko. I don’t like you, and no offense, but I don’t want you here-”</p><p> </p><p>“I can tell,” He grumbles, low and ashamed, and it makes her stop for a second, <em> He had no one</em>. </p><p> </p><p><em>“But</em> Sokka does, so I’ll vouch for you. And maybe, <em>maybe </em>you can convince me that he’s right. But just so you know, if you try to hurt Sokka or Aang, or any of my friends, I’ll make sure you regret it. Got it?”</p><p> </p><p>He swallows, and she has to force her eyes to stay trained on his eyes. Though that may have been a bad idea, because they stare right back at her, intense and burning. “Got it. But I won’t.”</p><p> </p><p>Sokka and Suki return right then, Suki taking aux as Sokka pulls out of the parking lot. Sokka talks about the tournament the entire drive, with Zuko’s occasional interruption, to Aang's house, where Aang and Toph wait for them. In all honesty, Katara’s a little scared to see how Aang reacts to Zuko being here.</p><p> </p><p>The reality comes a little sooner than hoped as they pull into Aang's driveway, but Sokka doesn’t seem worried, so she shouldn’t be, right? They all leave their bags in the camper as they walk right into Aang’s mansion, not even waiting to knock. Katara speeds ahead of the group to warn Aang before he freaks out like she did when he sees Zuko. </p><p> </p><p>She runs into the game room, which has a huge TV, a pool table, a mini-fridge, and a cabinet stocked with board games. Toph and Aang sit on the couch, currently arguing about the ending of some show that was on Netflix. Toph keeps throwing cheese balls in the direction of Aang's voice, he then dodges it and taunts her, prompting her to throw more cheeseballs and on and on and on.</p><p> </p><p><em> I don’t have time for this. </em>“Hey, Aang!” Katara yells as she enters the room. Aang goes rigid and whips around to face her as she dashes in. </p><p> </p><p>He leans on the arm of the couch, his head resting on his hands, “Hey, Katara!” He says, a little too excited. He gets nailed in the back of the head with a cheese ball.</p><p> </p><p>“Bullseye! Hey Sugar Queen, what’s got you all wound up?” She asks, doing a two-fingered salute in Katara’s general direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, hey Toph. I came to warn you guys that Sokka, he invited Zuko to our hang out,” She bites her lip, trying to gauge the pair's reaction. Toph doesn’t seem too bothered, she’s just trying to listen for Aang to move so she can throw another cheese ball at him.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Aang doesn’t look as upset as she would have originally thought, though he doesn’t look quite happy either. Confused, a little distraught, but not angry. To be honest, she thinks her own opinions might have clouded her judgment a little bit.</p><p> </p><p>“He used his ED on him.” </p><p> </p><p>There’s a moment of silence, before Aang nods slowly, “Alright. I trust Sokka, and I think if he thinks it’s a good idea, we’ll see how this goes- HEY!” </p><p> </p><p>“Got ya’!” Toph laughs so hard she nearly falls off the couch. Katara smiles to herself, <em> Yea, maybe he’s right. </em></p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>At first, it’s a bit awkward. The group all sit in their respective seats, the ones they always sit in. Toph is stretched out, taking up half the couch she shares with Aang, while Suki and Sokka cuddle on the smaller couch to the side. Katara lounges on the floor between the two couches, perfectly content as she stares at the British kids casting spells on the TV. Rather than watching something on Netflix like was originally planned, the group found out that there is a Harry Potter Marathon on, and decided to watch it. It feels somewhat normal, Sokka making bad puns, Katara pointing out what happened in the book, Toph pointing out that the actions on the screen sound dirty, (“I mean if they keep talking about <em> wands</em>-” “Boo!”). But it doesn’t feel a hundred percent <em> comfortable </em>, because Zuko sat cross-legged in a chair off to the side and had yet to say anything other than a simple greeting. </p><p> </p><p>Katara had decided that he looked uncomfortable enough and that her glare would just be unnecessary salt in the wound, but she did keep glancing at him, just to make sure he wasn’t going to break Aang’s kneecaps or something. He had yet to do anything yet, but she was still keeping an eye on him, just in case. No one else seemed completely bothered by him, but then again, everyone else was too trusting. She learned her lesson with Jet, and she wasn’t going back. Suddenly, there's a commercial break and low and behold, an ad for Netflix’s live-action TV show for Aang’s favorite comic book, <em>The Sun Warrior’s</em>, was on the big screen. Everyone instinctively groaned, ready to hear Aang talk about it for the next hour. </p><p> </p><p>“You know,” Aang started as Katara got up to get another soda from the mini-fridge, “They have the writers of the original comic book series as writers on the TV show! Most of the fans are so hype about it because of the comic book accurate casting and amazing special effects-”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, I disagree with the choices for The Dragon Of The West. They made him look all tough, when part of his purpose was to be sympathetic to others and respectful but still vicious in battle. Hence why he didn’t kill the dragons when they were close to extinction, even though it would have brought him honor.” Everyone stopped, staring at Zuko when he went on a mini-rant about the subject. He looked embarrassed under the weight of everyone’s stares. “My, uh, my uncle was a co-writer for the comics, so I’ve been really into them since I was a kid.” He mumbled, kind of quietly, staring at the ground as he shifted uncomfortably. </p><p> </p><p>Aang turned slowly, his smile growing as he stared at him, “You like <em> Sun Warrior’s </em> too!” Suddenly Aang dashed over to Zuko, excitedly speaking at the sound of light, talking about dragons, and fire, and ancient societies. Before Zuko could even react, he was being dragged away to Aang’s room to look at his collection of books and memorabilia, their conversation about the ‘Blue Spirit’ slowly fading down the hall. </p><p> </p><p>The group ended up abandoning the Harry Potter marathon in favor of playing Cards Against Humanity. Sadly they had to wait over thirty minutes for the two to return, but when they do, the two look completely comfortable with each other. Zuko seems much more relaxed, even smiling a little. Katara refuses to admit that it makes her head feel a little fuzzy.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Sparky!” Toph yells as she hears them enter the room again, “You’re new so <em> you </em>get to be the card czar.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sparky?” Zuko asks, eyes widening and a slight blush dusting across his scarless cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“Yea, sparks, flames, keep up dude. Now just pick a card, we already had to wait for you nerds.” And suddenly, everyone liked Zuko and was comfortable with him. Sokka absolutely adored him, Toph picked out his nickname, Suki seemed chill with him and even high-fived him when he put out a good answer, and Aang had already bonded with him over their love for comics. Except, there was one small problem, Katara, didn’t like or trust him at all. </p><p><br/>Come next Saturday, Katara is completely shell shocked by how perfectly he seemed to slip into their lives. How everyone seemed to like him, or have something to bond with him over, except Katara. Katara stayed wary of him, eyeing him like he was a firework that was about to go off. They didn’t talk, they didn’t joke around, they didn’t touch, <em> ever, </em>Katara made sure of that. The most interaction they had was the occasional snide remark that she threw his way which was only returned with a sheepish and sad look.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Spiked</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Katara and Zuko start to bond and Ba Sing Se high faces the Fire Nation in volleyball. Sadly, the night does not end well</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Saturday before the big volleyball game, she watches him from afar, eyes no longer cautious, but curious. Sitting on the counter of the game room, she watches Toph and Zuko animatedly talk about making a tea set for his uncle on the sofa, noting all the little details most people would brush off. Toph’s feet are haphazardly thrown in his lap, and Zuko hadn’t tried to move in the many minutes she had been watching them. Zuko, despite his ever-present awkward look, seemed so comfortable talking to the youngest of the group, not treating her any differently than he would anyone else. Most people, including Toph’s parents, tend to baby her, and she <em> hates </em>it. Acting like she’s made of glass and paper, even though, in reality, she made rock and steel.</p><p> </p><p>Katara had always felt very protective over Toph. Don’t be mistaken, she knows Toph can handle herself, she doesn’t baby her like her parents do. It’s just that Toph holds a special place in her heart, and the idea of someone hurting her fills her with this rage, even though she knows Toph would beat their ass, she would be second in line. She was <em> her </em> annoying, tough, arrogant asshole. But Zuko didn’t seem like one of those people who would hurt Toph but also wasn’t treating her like she was fragile.</p><p> </p><p>Katara takes a sip of the drink in her hand and lets her mind wander a little bit. She thinks about how she might be being too hard on him, that her words are a little too cruel. She thinks about the Saturday afternoon’s, where the most antagonistic thing Zuko has done is taking games a little too seriously, and gloating when he beat them at Monopoly. She thinks about how he seems to just accept anything she says about him, simply allowing her to insult him. She thinks about how considerate he is, careful not to push any boundaries with any of them. She thinks about how perfectly he fits into their lives. She thinks about how he’s always first to offer help with cleaning or getting drinks for everyone. She thinks-</p><p> </p><p>“YO! Earth to Katara!” Suki’s yell interrupts her thoughts, and suddenly, something is thrown at her. She’s lucky that the Dr. Pepper bottle was closed as she drops it and catches the object that is hurled at her. The plastic bottle crashes to the ground, causing everyone to look at the two girls, as she looks at the volleyball now in her hands. “We’re going outside for a final practice match before the big game on Monday.” </p><p> </p><p>“You could have just asked,” Katara grumbles as she gets off the counter.</p><p> </p><p>“I <em> did</em>, but you seemed to be in your own little world. Come on, one on one?” Suki grabs the ball from her, only for Sokka to take it from her hands a second later.</p><p> </p><p>“No way! I wanna play you guys again.”</p><p> </p><p>Katara laughed into her hand as she picked up her fallen drink, “Sokka, I don’t think your pride can take a loss like that again. What was the final score again? 25 to 7?”</p><p> </p><p>Sokka made an incredulous gasp before pointing at her, “Yeah, but that was because I had <em> Aang </em>on my team!” He took a second to look at Aang, still standing at the foosball table that Sokka abandoned mid-game. “Sorry buddy, volleyball just isn’t your game.”</p><p> </p><p>Aang just shrugged, “None taken! It’s just a little too stationary for my liking.”</p><p> </p><p>“But now, I have a secret weapon!”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah?” Suki laughed, “And what might that be?” </p><p> </p><p>“Zuko!”<br/><br/></p><p>“Huh? What?” Zuko carefully takes Toph’s legs off his lap and gets up, walking over to the group. “I-uh, I never signed up for that.”</p><p> </p><p>Sokka throws an arm around Zuko despite his rather tense body posture, “C’mon dude, you have to show these girls who’s the more athletic gender.” Sokka’s smirks as everyone in the room tenses. He knew exactly what he was doing. He grew up with Katara and <em> knew</em>, if there was one thing in the entire world to get her to do something, it was saying something sexist. </p><p> </p><p>The entire room was still as Katara’s face suddenly got very serious, glare trained on the boys, “What did you just say?”</p><p> </p><p>“You heard me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sokka,” Zuko said slowly, carefully, not wanting to poke the bear, “I don’t think I wanna play-”</p><p> </p><p>“No! We’re doing this!” Katara yelled as Toph smirked in the corner, entertained by the group’s antics. Katara quickly steps closer, ripping the ball from Sokka’s hands. “You’re about to get <em> destroyed</em>.” She stormed out, heading for Aang’s backyard. Suki followed, turning around to playfully flip her boyfriend off before disappearing.</p><p> </p><p>“Dude, what did you just <em> do</em>?” Zuko asked, still standing as still as a statue. This face was painted clearly with fear as he looked at the doorway the girls disappeared through.</p><p> </p><p>“I just got us a game. Don’t worry, by the end of the game she’ll be over it...unless you throw the game. Now that’s a mistake you never make twice. Come on dude, we got a game to win!” Sokka yelled as he dragged a rather reluctant Zuko out to the backyard. </p><p> </p><p>Aang walked over to Toph and took her hand so that he could help guide her outside. She clasps his hand, the other one grabbing her bright green walking stick, “Ten bucks says Suki and Katara beat them by at least 15 points.”</p><p> </p><p>Aang chuckles a little bit as they walk, “I don’t know, Zuko’s a wild card. They’ll probably only beat them by like 5 to 10 points.”</p><p> </p><p>Toph just elbows him, her way of shaking hands, “You’re on.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Around forty minutes later, Toph reluctantly gives a smug-looking Aang ten bucks as they sit on the swingset, watching the girls get their final point on the boys, Zuko sliding for the ball and missing by a few inches. “Ha! Yes! You see that, Sokka! In your <em> face</em>!” Katara yells as she lands from the spike she just hit. </p><p> </p><p>Sokka helps Zuko up from the ground, looking a little upset, but not angry as Zuko had originally thought the siblings would. “It’s okay dude, we’ll get them next time,” Sokka says, patting him on the back before going to take down the shitty volleyball net.</p><p> </p><p>Zuko looks up at Katara and sees that she’s smiling, her face flushed from the workout, and she high fives Suki, talking with wild hand gestures about how they need to bring it to the game on Monday. She stops gesturing for a second to fix her hair, undoing her ponytail and starting to tie it into its normal braid. He feels his heart thump in his chest a little bit harder than before and his face grows hot, but he just chalks it up to all the exercise. He’ll admit, he’s always been very competitive, and this game is no different from the rest, so he threw his all into the game, but he found himself getting…distracted at times.</p><p> </p><p>He swallows as he watches Suki leave to go help Sokka, leaving Katara alone to finish her hair. Zuko slowly walks up to her, a little afraid she’ll bite his head off. The original reason he didn’t want to play was that he was afraid she would accuse him of being a spy for the Fire Nation, which he wasn’t. He honestly couldn’t care less about sports, but it made his dad happy (Or happier, he should say) when he was winning games. His dad took everything, including the rivalry between the schools, way too seriously.</p><p> </p><p>Katara finally meets his eyes as he gets closer, and he doesn’t know what he was expecting her to do, maybe chuck the ball at him, or start insulting and accusing him, glare at him until he backed down, but she just looked at him. Not with anger, not necessarily happiness either, just with curiosity and anticipation. </p><p> </p><p>“You’re really good. At-at volleyball, I mean.” He absolutely despises how awkward he sounds, how he feels his hands itch to do <em> something</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not too bad you’re self, I guess I get why you’re the Fire Nation’s star player.” She gives him a little smile as she speaks. This is…new, and he’s not complaining, he really likes Katara when she’s not insulting him. And for some reason, he really cares about what she thinks of him, and it makes him smile back at her. They just stand there, smiling at each other, not saying anything. Then suddenly she breaks the silence, coughing and looking down at her sneakers. “Listen, I know I’ve been really tough on you the last few weeks, and I wanted to say,” She looks up, intense blue eyes filled with determination and regret, “I’m sorry, and I was wrong. I’m not saying that we’re best friends or anything now, but I think we, I mean, I would like to be friends.”</p><p> </p><p>His smile grows as he nods, “I would like that too, Katara.”</p><p> </p><p>“The offer still stands, I <em> will </em>kick your ass if you hurt them, so don’t get too comfortable,” She says a little awkwardly, her voice filled with mirth and teasing as she elbows him softly.</p><p> </p><p>“Wouldn’t dream of it,” He says earnestly, lazily elbowing her back.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, would you like to come to me and Suki’s game on Monday? After school? I mean, everyone is going, so if you want you can just go to hang out. We’re going to go celebrate after, even if we don’t win, ‘cuz it’s kinda tradition, so...”</p><p> </p><p>“Yea, I mean I was thinking of going for my sister, but I would really love to go celebrate with you guys-”</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko!” Sokka suddenly yells, breaking the two’s nervous rambling, “If you could stop being an awkward, blushing mess and help, that would be nice.” Suki slaps his chest as they laugh, and if Zuko wasn’t blushing before (Which he definitely was), he was now.</p><p> </p><p>“One second please,” He mumbles to Katara, choosing to ignore how cute she looks as she tries to hide her laugh behind her hand. Zuko slowly walks toward Sokka, only to stop short. He quickly bends down, picking up the volleyball and winding it up. He watches Sokka pale and glares at him, “Run.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, bro, I was just kiDDING! SHIT!” Sokka yells as he ducks, the volleyball just barely missing his face. Suddenly Katara lets out a loud, genuine laugh as she walks over to Suki, Aang, and Toph.</p><p> </p><p>“Ten bucks says Sparky tackles Snoozles into the dirt,” Toph says in between laughs.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re on,” Suki bets, nudging Toph’s foot a little, “There’s no <em> way </em>Zuko catches Sokka.”</p><p> </p><p>“Twinkle-toes, you want in on this?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m with Suki, I bet they just run until they get tired, then they’ll just sit down or something.” Aang supplies, rather nonchalantly as he draws on his arms. </p><p> </p><p>“Sugar Queen, you in?”</p><p> </p><p>“You know I think betting is totally wrong, but I’m in. Zuko has more long-distance endurance from being a midfielder. Sokka’s going down.”</p><p> </p><p>After around a minute of watching the boys curse and run, Toph and Katara get ten bucks and Sokka complains about having dirt in his ear for the next hour.</p><p>
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</p><p>Katara wouldn’t say she’s nervous, but she’s definitely uneasy as the team sits in the locker room between games. They had just finished the second game, and though Ba Sing Se had won the game, it wasn’t by much, and honestly, Katara didn’t think they would win. The Fire Nation were champions for a reason; and their names were Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. The three girls were absolute monsters on the court, and the worst part, they still had other great players on the team. Ty Lee could jump impossibly high, and could get any ball, no matter where it was hit. Mai was unbelievably precise and fast, always being able to hit it fast and hard in places that are hard to reach. And then Azula, god Azula is any volleyball player’s worst nightmare. Cold, calculating, an amazing strategizer, and intensely athletic. When she hit the ball, it was like there were flames trailing after it.</p><p> </p><p>Both games were extremely close and the team was feeling rather dejected. Hama sat, slumped on the bench, with Yue and the newby on the team, Korra, who’s a rather promising Freshman. The outcome seemed bleak, and the team looked close to giving up, and Suki and Katara weren’t far behind. It seemed hopeless, especially because though Ba Sing Se was rather tired, the Fire Nation was still going strong. On their way back to the locker room Azula even had the energy to throw a snide comment at Katara while Ty Lee, who is holding her hand, tugs at her, pleading her to leave it alone.  </p><p> </p><p>Katara sighed one last time before taking a swig from her water bottle, but as her head tilted up, she saw a bright green stick and a tan hand waving in the window that rests above the lockers, clouded by dust and sharpie markings. She feels a smile creep across her face as she sets down her water bottle, nudging Suki with it.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Suki’s eyes follow where Katara is nodding too, and as she sees the window, she breaks into a similar grin. “Those <em> losers</em>!” She mumbles, her voice fond and soft, as she runs to the lockers.</p><p> </p><p>“Hama, let us know if Coach comes?” </p><p> </p><p>The senior simply sighs, “Yeah, I got you.” To anyone other than Katara, Hama would have said no, but she has a soft spot for the Sophomore. She has been not-so-subtly been grooming Katara to take over as Captain when she graduates.  Katara smiles and gives her a thumbs-up before she runs off to give Suki a boast so that she can climb on top of the lockers. After they get Katara up and they pry open the old window, the girls are met with the beautiful sight of their friends being absolute morons.</p><p> </p><p>Sokka is sitting on Aang’s shoulders, who is swaying from the weight. Sokka keeps yelling and grasping at the window edge. Toph is <em> clinging </em> to Zuko as she violently waves her walking stick, occasionally hitting Sokka which only causes him to yell more. Zuko keeps looking around, saying that he has to get back soon or his dad will be pissed. </p><p> </p><p>“You guys know you’re not supposed to be here, right?” Katara says, leaning against the edge of the small window frame. </p><p> </p><p>This finally causes the group to shut up for a second before all of them start talking at once about how amazing the pair are doing. She manages to hear Sokka the clearest, since he’s the closest, saying “How am I supposed to stay away when my girlfriend and little sister are <em> literal superheroes</em>!” She can hear Aang struggle out a “You guys are doing awesome out there!”.  And Toph is practically screaming about how “Aang told me how you made <em> Ty Lee </em> face plant, who knew you guys were such badasses?”.  And finally, overall the chaos, she can hear a quiet Zuko say, “You guys are easily the most talented volleyball players I’ve ever seen.”</p><p> </p><p>Hearing her friends talk about how awesome they’re doing fills her with this hope, hope that they could actually <em> win</em>. And the way Suki’s face lights up, she can tell she’s thinking the same thing, as she grabs Sokka by his bright green Ba Sing Se shirt and quickly kisses him. Suki smiles as she reaches down and pats Aang’s hand, “You guys are the best.”</p><p> </p><p>Sokka stares at Suki, a completely lovestruck look on his face and lost for words, before Zuko slaps his foot, “Dude, I <em> have </em>to go, give them the stuff!”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Oh, right! To lift your spirits before the final game, we all got you these.” Sokka pulls out two headbands and gives them to them. Suki’s is green and covered in fans and steaks of black, white, red, and gold. Katara’s on the other hand, is a variety of blues and whites to create an abstract representation of waves. </p><p> </p><p>“We’re really proud of you assholes, so go out there and kick some Fire Nation ass!” Toph yells, jumping a little. As she bounces around, she seems to remember Zuko is there and pats his arm softly, “No offense, Sparky.”</p><p> </p><p>Zuko shakes his head, but he hasn’t looked calm since they opened the window, still looking anxiously at his phone, the door, and the ground. “It’s fine, I should really go through, my father is waiting-”</p><p> </p><p>Katara is shocked at the lack of suspicion that coils in her stomach, instead, a little pity and curiosity. The way Zuko said <em> father </em> was filled with so much seriousness and formality. She gets that his dad is still the Dean of the school, but it’s still his <em> dad</em>, right? “It’s cool Zuko, thank you for coming. I mean, thanks all you guys for, you know, everything. We should go anyway, Coach could be back any minute. Still, ice cream after, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Zuko smiles up at her before letting go of Toph and setting her hand against the wall, “Of course.” He waves at everyone, before jogging to the door’s back into the gym.</p><p> </p><p>Suki kisses Sokka one last time before Aang puts him down, and when his hands are finally free, then Katara and Aang high five. Toph then grabs Sokka and they bid goodbye to each other. The two girls jump down and Suki stops Katara really quickly, asking, “What was that about?”</p><p> </p><p>“What was what about?”</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko.” She says dryly, squirting her Gatorade bottle at her.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m just...I’m trying to be nicer. Sokka really likes him, and he showed he’s not out to get Aang like I originally thought, at least right now. Might as well be friendly so it’s less awkward for everyone.”</p><p> </p><p>Coach Kyoshi bursts into the room as the girls start to form a circle around her as Suki finally whispers, “Sure, if you say that’s all.” Katara is about to object when Kyoshi suddenly starts yelling about ‘Destroying those flaming pricks’ and she realizes she has to get her game face on.</p><p>
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</p><p>“Make way everyone! Ba Sing Se champions coming through!” Sokka yelled, holding both Katara and Suki’s hands in the air as they wade through the on-looking families and teenagers. Toph, Aang, and Zuko trailed not far behind as Sokka pushed his way to the front of the line, exploiting the fact that Aang’s friend Teo was working, and it helped that his dad, who they call Mechanist, owns the place and absolutely adores Sokka. Once, on the hottest day of the summer three years ago, Teo called Sokka to cover for him at the shop and Sokka ended up fixing their broken freezer which would have lost weeks of merchandise. Thankfully, because of it, the group gets free ice cream whenever they want. </p><p> </p><p>Sokka lists off everyone’s normal orders only to stop short and look at Zuko expectantly, who shrugs and just says “Vanilla?” Needless to say, this sparks some controversy.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, who orders plain <em>vanilla</em>? I mean, at least get chocolate!” Katara yells as everyone jams into a booth. She sits squished between a wall and Sokka as he tries to steal bites of ice cream from Suki, who sits next to him. The shop had an interesting steampunk vibe that, though shouldn’t work, totally did. There were walls and ceilings covered in tubing and gears, painted to look like they were covered in frost. The tables were all dark polished wood while chairs and booths were bright bronze and dark green pleather seats. <em>The</em> <em>North Pole</em> was honestly one of the best ice cream in town, and the ambiance was either loved or hated. This group loves it.</p><p> </p><p>Zuko, from where he sits across from her at the booth, stabs his spoon into his bowl and says, rather heatedly, “What’s wrong with vanilla? It’s a classic!”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s <em> boring </em> dude, get something with some flavor!” Toph says from beside him.</p><p> </p><p>“At least I didn’t get a mountain of sprinkles on mine!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey now, no need to insult sprinkles, and at least I got toppings! Again, boring.” Toph sets down her cup to punch Zuko in the stomach, who bends over in pain. Zuko sets his forehead against the table, a small ‘ow’ falling from his mouth. Katara slowly reaches up and pats the black head of hair that rests on the table, jokingly pitying him. Shocked Zuko raises his head, a blush rising across his cheek. Up close, Katara can really look at the scar and doesn’t get what some people say. She’s heard so many times that ‘prince’ Zuko had a scar that made babies cry and made his face hard to look at. It wasn’t like she found the scar attractive or anything, but it made her a little sad, there must have been a terrible story behind it, and though she hates to admit it, it makes her curious, makes her want to know more about him. </p><p> </p><p>The pair stare at each other, Katara’s hand still resting on top of Zuko’s head, she can’t help but think about how intimate the moment is, even with everyone else besides them. No one is really paying attention to the pair who are squished against the wall, too busy with Sokka who’s telling some, probably made up, story. They sit so close, Katara notices his eyes, noticing that they aren’t quite hazel like she thought. Maybe it was the lighting, maybe it was something else, but his eyes look gold. She couldn’t stop looking into them, they look like glowing embers, small fires that bore into her very soul. Suddenly, she becomes aware of everything. How soft his hair is, how warm he is, the way her hand, almost instinctively, slowly slips from the top of his head to the side of his face, to his scar.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, there’s a loud noise, the door bangs open, and the spell is broken. The pair jumped away, Katara’s hand returning to her ice cream, and Zuko sitting up with an unnaturally straight posture. “Zuzu!” The entire table tenses as Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai desperately run to the table. At first, Katara and Suki glare at the trio, expecting insults and accusations of cheating, but Katara finds herself softening. There’s something obviously <em> off </em> about the girls. Mai’s, unlike her normal blank expression, eyebrows were furrowed and had a small frown, she was <em> worried</em>. Ty Lee clung to Azula’s arm, more so than usual, but even as the girls grasp each other’s hands, you can tell that Azula is shaking. And Azula, normally refined and cocky, is <em> scared</em>. Her eyes wide, her hair messy, and she’s holding Ty Lee’s hand like it is her lifeline. Katara can’t help but note that she’s wearing long sleeves, despite the heat.</p><p> </p><p>“Azula?” Though Zuko’s voice is filled with confusion, when the girls stop at the end of the table, he pales, and his eyes grow serious. The siblings have a silent conversation, one that causes the rest of the group’s confusion to grow.</p><p> </p><p>“Dad’s looking for you. He’s…he’s really mad.” Her voice is grave, and if you look closely, her mascara is slightly smudged, as if her eyes were watering. Katara finally tears her eyes away from the group of girls to look at the group. Suki’s glare has completely disappeared, and she and Sokka whisper to each other, concern painting their faces. Aang grasps his ice cream, staring very intensely at Zuko, and Toph has a frown as she slowly taps the top of her walking stick.</p><p> </p><p>There’s a beat of silence, and Zuko glances around, realizing just how many people were around. He lowers his voice, just low enough so that only the two groups could hear, “How much has he already had?”</p><p> </p><p>“A lot.” </p><p> </p><p>“I have to go guys.” Zuko says nothing else, simply starting to scoot out of the booth. Aang and Toph get out, rather confused as Toph reaches for Zuko’s hand. He ignores it.</p><p> </p><p>“We can give you guys a ride home, the van will fit everyone-” Sokka starts getting up, but Zuko stops him with wide, panicked eyes and an abrupt “No!”</p><p> </p><p>The group goes silent, moments ticking by as they all stare at Zuko, who doesn’t quite meet anyone’s eyes. He coughs, mumbling a quick “I’ll see you guys around,” before he leaves with the Fire Nation girls. </p><p> </p><p>Toph, Aang, and Sokka sit back down. No one says anything, not even Aang tries to break the silence with some childish joke. Katara watches as Zuko’s forgotten vanilla ice cream melts.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. One stormy night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's raining outside and Zuko shows up on Katara's doorstep, drenched. As she welcomes him inside, he tells her about the night he had with his father.</p>
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    <p>It’s been two months since the ‘Ice Cream Incident’, as Katara has started calling it. Despite the group inviting Zuko every weekend, they never get an answer. Whether she wants to admit it or not, Katara is worried. He just kind of vanished, and when Sokka texts him, he gets no answer as well. Katara tries to reason with herself, <em> it’s normal, he’s just busy, it happens. Plus, you have exams to worry about, he’s fine </em>. </p><p> </p><p>She’s currently sitting at the counter in their kitchen, pouring over her world history textbook, listening to rain pound against the window. Sokka and her had been really happy the past week or so since their dad came back from where he was stationed in the Navy, but there was one problem with it, it’s harder to pull the wool over his eyes. When their dad is stationed, their Gran Gran watches over them, and she’s 85 and goes to bed at 8. But their dad, he’s a trained soldier, he hears so much as the creak of the floorboard and he’s ready.</p><p> </p><p>So, Katara and Sokka have a system. If one of them wants to see their friends after hours, one has to stay home and cover. Sokka is currently ‘spending some alone time’ with Suki, so Katara is sitting in the kitchen, lists of excuses ready if their dad comes downstairs. What she’s not ready for, was the doorbell ringing. <em> Sokka you idiot! Rule number one, always remember your key! </em></p><p> </p><p>“Katara? Who is that?” Her dad's deep voice trails down the stairs from his office, and she panics for a second. </p><p> </p><p>She rushes to the door, yanking it open, ready to scold Sokka for forgetting his key, only to stop short. <em> Zuko</em>. He stands in front of her, wearing formal clothes, completely drenched. He looks an absolute mess, a backpack hangs loosely in one hand and a bright red tie in the other. His black hair is matted to his forehead, and even though the rain, she can see he had been crying. He just stares at Katara, gold eyes dull and vacant, and asks “Is Sokka home?”</p><p> </p><p>She’s about to answer, but her dad's voice booms from upstairs again, “Katara? Who’s at the door?” His voice sounds a little more worried, and she hears the old floorboards give a little. <em> Oh no, he’s getting up!  </em></p><p> </p><p>“It’s, uh, my study partner! Sorry I didn’t tell you, he originally canceled. Don’t worry so much, Dad!” Katara desperately tries to sound chill with that last line, but she’s about ninety percent sure she sounded as nervous as she felt. Regardless of how she sounded, the weight is lifted off the floorboards. She quickly ushers Zuko inside, taking his backpack and his tie, and she sits him down at the counter next to her books.</p><p> </p><p>His eyes downcast, he stares at her work guiltily, before getting up, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were busy, I can go-”</p><p> </p><p>Katara grabs him by the shoulders and pushes him back down into the stool before closing her books. “No, you’re clearly...Zuko, you’re not being a bother, I’m happy to have you. But, Sokka’s not here right now, he’s at Suki’s.” Zuko opens his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off, “I’ll call him and he’ll be back soon, but until he comes back, I’ll take care of you.”</p><p> </p><p>She says it with such authority, that though Zuko wants to argue, he knows it won’t do any good, so he slowly nods. She gives him a small smile, before busying herself. She grabs a towel and some of Sokka’s clothes from where they sat in the family room waiting to be folded, then works around the kitchen, all while talking to Zuko. “Are you hurt? What happened? Did you <em> walk </em>here? How long can you stay? Do you like tea?” He only blinks at her rapid-fire questions, until she asks him about the tea, and it seems to stir something in him, something both sad and wistful.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have Jasmine?” She smiles and puts on a kettle before grabbing two mugs and two Jasmine tea bags.</p><p> </p><p>“Go get changed, I’ll call Sokka. The bathroom is the first door on your right,” She points down a hallway as she pulls out her phone. He almost mindlessly follows her direction as she looks for the name ’Freeloader’ in her phone. </p><p> </p><p>Sokka picks up after two rings with an anxious “How long do I have?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, Dad doesn’t know you're not home yet, but there’s something else. Zuko showed up, completely drenched, and he’s really shaken up. You need to get your ass home, <em> now</em>!”</p><p> </p><p>She hears Suki’s small ‘What’s wrong?’, and Sokka replies with something about Zuko and his dad before Sokka talks into the phone again “Okay, I’ll be back soon. Make sure he’s alright, okay? His dad...he’s not the best father.” Then the line goes dead.</p><p> </p><p>Katara tries to busy herself, putting her school stuff away, checking on the tea, but her eyes keep drifting to the closed bathroom door. <em> He’s not the best father</em>. <em> Dad’s looking for you. He’s…he’s really mad. Father is waiting. His dad isn’t coming to pick him up. </em>No, it couldn’t be.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly the bathroom door opens, and a somewhat dry Zuko walks out, dressed in an empty stare paired with Sokka’s sweatpants. As he sits down at the counter, she holds out a steaming mug of tea, and he takes it with one hand. She stares at his empty hand that rests on the countertop, and before she can think better of it, she takes it in both her hands and cradles it. His head shoots up from where it was staring at the light brown liquid, and he’s about to pull his hand away, but he’s met with soft, ocean blue eyes. He relaxes in her grasp as he sees nothing but concern and sympathy coming in waves from her. “What happened, Zuko?” Her voice is soft and quiet, silvery words no more than a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>“I was banished.” His voice wobbles as his eyes downcast, back to his drink.</p><p> </p><p>“Banished? From what?” </p><p> </p><p>His hands clench, forgetting that she was holding one. While his grip tightens around his mug, Katara grabs his hand back, wrapping slender fingers around his palm. She decided she liked holding hands with him, his hands were warm and soft, yet still calloused, probably from fencing. She stares at his face, her thumb slowly rubbing circles on the back of his hand. </p><p> </p><p>“From everything.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Zuko stood in front of the mirror fiddling with the tie, never quite being able to tie it correctly. He was on his fifth try and he’s worried about being late, but he also knows how much his father values looking perfect.</p><p> </p><p>He yanked the tie again, only to jump at Azula’s smooth voice, “Need some help, Zuzu?” He looked up to see his sister leaning against the door frame, dressed up in a short pencil skirt and a crop top, plus her impossibly perfect makeup.</p><p> </p><p>“Please,” he sighed, slightly defeated. She smirked at him before pushing off the door frame and walking up to him, perfectly manicured nails working on the red fabric. <em> Perfect Azula, what else is new</em>. “You’re dressed up. Taking advantage of Dad not being home? Tell Ty Lee I say ‘Hi’.” </p><p> </p><p>Azula laughed a little, “Any chance I can get, since we can’t really <em> be together </em> at school. You know how dad is about...” she trailed off, eyes downcast. <em> She’s not perfect, just like me, she just looks perfect</em>, he reminded himself.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to say it,” He tried to sound comforting, but he didn’t know how well he’s doing. He’s always <em> tried </em> to be a good brother, tried to show that he supports her, no matter what their father says. He feels like he fails a lot of the time, and he thinks that’s why his and Azula’s relationship hasn’t been the best in the past, but they both <em> try</em>. It’s not like they’ve had the best role models for how to be a good, functional family. Buried in a dark place within him, he was still jealous of her, but he tried to remind himself that she’s not the pedestal that their father puts her on. She’s a person, just like him.</p><p> </p><p>She was silent for a second, red lips pressed together in a thin line, before she started teasing him, “Agni Zuzu, how can you not tie a tie? You’re nearly an adult!”</p><p> </p><p>“Mom always did it for me,” He couldn’t stop it before it slipped out of his mouth. </p><p> </p><p>Azula tightened the tie a little too tight around his neck, then realized what she did. Her jaw tightened, and she mumbled a small “Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>He could see the conflict in her eyes, the regret, and the internal struggle with her anger. “It’s okay,” and he meant it. They don’t talk about their mom a lot, mainly because they know that she treated the two of them very differently. Just like their dad treats them differently. </p><p> </p><p>She finished the tie, the piece of cloth now perfect and crisp, but she didn’t move away just yet. “You, you know you don’t have to go, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“You know how important it is to Father that I learn how to take over the school after him, ‘Zula. I can’t just not, you know how he’ll react.”</p><p> </p><p>Her hands tightened around the base of the tie, “You know he is though, this won’t end well, I know it won’t. Just, please, don’t go, I have a really bad feeling.” </p><p> </p><p>“Then I lose either way. I’ll be fine,” he sidestepped away from her, walking towards his door, “Don’t worry about me, just have fun with Ty Lee tonight.” </p><p> </p><p>She caught his wrist before he can make it out the door, and looked him dead in the eye, “Promise me you’ll be careful?”</p><p> </p><p>He leveled her with an equally serious stare, “I promise.” He wishes he kept that.</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko! We’re leaving!” His father’s deep and rough voice almost shook the house. His voice always demands absolute attention, just like it’s owner. Both Azula and Zuko flinched at the sound of their father’s voice before Zuko ran out of the room. He stopped at the top of the steps to wave at Azula, who still stood in his room before his father yelled again, then it was down the stairs and out the door.</p><p> </p><p>The car ride was tense and silent. He’d never liked car rides with his dad, not after the accident, but he swallowed his fear and watched the rain pour as they drove. He wished he could’ve pulled out his phone and text Sokka or one of his other new friends, but he knew he couldn’t do that anymore. He knew he was pushing it by going to the window that day, but he really wanted to see Katara, tell her how amazing she was doing. He can’t quite explain why it meant so much to him that she knew that he thought she was amazing, but it did.</p><p> </p><p>When Zuko returned, his father looked tense, his jaw was tight and he said nothing to his son, not that that was unusual, he was always angry. But when Azula came bursting into the ice cream shop, he knew he was caught. When he got home, there was screaming, and broken glass, and the stench of Fireball whisky. He just kept yelling about “The Enemy” and “Ba Sing Se Trash” and “Water Tribe scum”. The comment dug under his skin and made his stomach burn with anger, until, the heat was too much.</p><p> </p><p>“What does it matter who I hang out with! It’s just high school!” When he saw his father’s face, he knew he made a mistake.</p><p> </p><p>His father rushed toward him and grabbed him by the front of the shirt, fist drawn back and eyes flaming, “You’ll <em> learn </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Ever since, every waking moment that Zuko wasn’t working on school, his father made it his mission to prepare him to take over after him. Meetings and talking to teachers, and looking at budgets. It was killing him. He never wanted to take over after his father, in fact, he thought the fact that a <em> principal </em>job was passed from son to father, was unbelievable dumb. He was forced to wear his school uniform, black slacks, black shoes, white shirt, and a dark red suit jacket if he ever left the house. More than anything though, he missed hanging out at Aang’s, with Sokka and the rest of the group. His father had taken his phone, so he knew if he ever tried to sneak out, it would be his head. </p><p> </p><p>He didn’t get why there was an ‘Investors meeting’ at 7 o’clock at <em> night </em> , and he didn’t dare ask. He simply played good son, praying for the day Uncle Iroh came back. Things were always better when Iroh was around, he would spend nights there, and Iroh would let him see the gang, he knew for a fact. He already loved Sokka away, he knew he would love the rest of them too. Hell, if he asked, Iroh would probably let him <em> host </em>.</p><p> </p><p>“So Zuko,” It wasn’t until his father spoke that he realized that they were parked at the school. “You will not speak, you will not make eye contact with any of the investors, you are here to <em> listen </em> and <em> observe </em>. So much as a peep, and you’ll regret it. Understand?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Sir.” His father led him through the halls to a meeting room as Zuko looked at the classrooms he’d spent all day in. For some reason, the school looked much more menacing at night, the dark, empty rooms, the ominous red lighting, the echoing of his father and his footsteps. It felt like he shouldn’t be here, like when you’re watching a horror movie and you know a character is going to die. They reached a large wooden empty door, no room number, no name, no plaque. Before they entered, his father’s hand reached up and grabbed the back of his head. Zuko felt a sharp pain as his father forced his head down, eyes now glaring at his shiny black shoes.</p><p> </p><p>He sat next to his father, eyes never leaving the hands that rested in his lap, at a table of older sounding men. They talked about boring stuff at first, someone’s wife, and someone’s stocks, and someone’s kid getting into Harvard. His father laughed at a joke about some dude’s wife never shutting up, and Zuko clenched his hands, forcing himself to not flinch at his father. Suddenly, the laughter cut off and the air became much more serious, something more tense.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, Mr. Ozai, we’ve lost the last few games-” The man on the other side of his father tried, sounding meek and cautious</p><p> </p><p>“I’m aware. I apologize, I thought my daughter could handle it.” His father’s voice was harsh, and he didn’t need to look up to know that he was looking at him.</p><p> </p><p>“But, since we’ve lost so many games to Ba Sing Se, we haven’t met the requirement for our,” he stopped and coughed while eyeing Zuko before continuing, “<em> Investment </em>to look normal. The police have been suspicious since the incident at the Southern Air Institute, if the sports team get that same reward, they’ll finally have enough evidence to get a warrant.” Zuko felt his mind running. The Southern Air Institute was an old competing private school that went out of business when the headmaster had mysteriously disappeared and sold the property with no warning. All the students had to transfer, many going to the next best thing, Sozin High. A lot of the SAI kids joined sports and were now top-performing athletes at the school.</p><p> </p><p>“So what do we need to do to make this as inconspicuous as possible,” Cool and calculated as his fists tightened on top the table. <em> He’s angry, oh no. </em></p><p> </p><p>“We need to completely dominate in basketball and tennis and break some kind of school record. We could do that by not losing a match in women’s tennis, or having your boy break his previous record for points scored per game.” Zuko felt his stomach drop as he was mentioned, and he suddenly didn’t feel proud about being the team captain anymore. <em>  What is this meeting? </em> He resisted the urge to look up.</p><p> </p><p>“Perfect, we should be able to handle that with Mai and Zuko has been training a lot more-”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, sir, there's a slight problem. Ba Sing Se.” He couldn’t stop the small smirk that crawled its way onto his face. It wouldn’t be a problem, but Aang was the captain of Ba Sing Se’s basketball team, and no one could catch him. Plus, Sokka mentioned something about Katara being undefeated at tennis. Zuko felt the pride he feels for his friends mix with the guilt that pools in his stomach. The last time he and Aang played together, he was brutal. Grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to the ground, tripped him. He felt terrible when he had done it, but his father had been so angry about them losing, he <em> had </em>to win. He knew the gang had forgiven him, but he needed to find a way to apologize again. Maybe he could borrow Azula’s phone and text them.</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll take care of it. Who is it that we need to worry about?” <em> Take care of it? </em></p><p> </p><p>There was some shuffling paper before a man at the other end of the table spoke up, “Aang Avatar, the captain of the basketball team, and Katara Whitman is undefeated.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh, that Avatar kid has been a pain in my side all year. Doesn’t he have the record for the 100 meter dash in the state?” His father laughed again, but this laugh was much worse. Cruel and hurtful noises poured from his mouth, taking pleasure in the destruction they cause. “I suppose we’ll have to fix that. It will be hard to run with a broken leg.” Zuko couldn’t help it, his head shoot up to stare at his father with large, scared eyes, and an open mouth. “And that Whitman girl, she can’t hold a racket if her hand is broken. Someone get Zhao on the phone-”</p><p> </p><p>“No!” Zuko stood up abruptly, hands slammed down on the table. “You can’t! That is so unbelievably wrong! You all are <em> monsters </em> ! We’re just <b> <em>kids</em> </b>, and you’re going to break their bones! For what? Some money! You can’t just use us as pawns and then throw us away when we’re  unneeded. You’re all sick! And if you think that I’m just going to walk out of here and let you hurt my friends, you better think ag-”</p><p> </p><p>The sound of a slap rang through the room. Zuko stumbled back as he watches his father dusts off the back of his hand, the room silent as Ozai marched up to his own son and grabbed him by the collar. The two gold eyes met, a battle of the wills. Ozai drew his hand back and there was another sound of hand meeting flesh.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go to the police,” Zuko grunted, his eyes never leaving his father’s</p><p> </p><p>“No,” Ozai sneered, “You’re not. Because if you do, I’ll do a lot worse to your <em> friends </em> then break a few bones. And you <em> know </em> I live up to my threats.” All the confidence Zuko once had drained from his body. He was right. Not once has his father said he was going to do something and not followed through. He’s experienced it enough first hand to know his father never makes empty threats, and he can’t put them in danger. “Now, <em> son, </em> we are leaving. Ukano, we’ll finish this another time.” </p><p> </p><p>Zuko couldn’t bring himself to struggle as his father draged him out, his death grip bruising his arm. <em> One wrong move and he will bring the rest of the gang into this, I can’t let him get to them </em> . He was thrown into the passenger seat, and he made sure to buckle and tighten it as tight as possible. The last time he was in his car with his dad and he was <em> this </em>angry, it didn’t end well.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> There was so much shouting. His mother, his father, they just kept yelling. The smell of cinnamon alcohol. Clenched fists and tears as he tried to soothe a young Azula. His father’s words sting his ears as he watched his father jerk- </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The slamming of the driver's side door knocked Zuko out of his flashback. He watched his father slide into the seat, scowl never leaving his face. Zuko felt his heart rate pick up every time his father’s hand moved a little too quickly, every time his hand got a little too close to the center console. <em> Yelling, crying, fist, “I will not hesitate”, jerk. Yelling, crying, fist, “I will not hesitate”, Jerk. </em>Over and over in his head, he made sure to keep his mouth shut as he glared at the road, watching rain pound against the pavement. </p><p> </p><p>“You are worthless, you know. Barely worth the words, but I wanted to make sure the deal got through your thick skull. You go to the police, your friends won’t make it out of this alive. Clear?” </p><p> </p><p>They were less than a minute from their massive house, Zuko couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’ll keep my mouth shut.” </p><p> </p><p>There was a thick silence that settled over them, as Zuko watched his father pull into the red and gold trim house. He parked the car, and turned to Zuko, eyes hard and emotionless, “Good, now I want you out of my house, and out of my school.”</p><p> </p><p>“What? You can’t just-”</p><p> </p><p>“You are hereby expelled from Sozin high. You disrespected me, and that won’t be tolerated. You have a minute to grab whatever you need, but if I ever see you again, I’ll kill you myself.” </p><p> </p><p>Zuko couldn’t bring himself to move, to do anything. He wanted so badly to say something, to protest, to punch him, to run, to do <em> something </em> , he just couldn’t. He just stared forward, looking at the red door that leads into his house. <em> It’s not yours anymore </em>, his brain reminded him. He felt tears well in his eyes, his throat growing tight, “Father-”</p><p> </p><p>“Fifty-nine, fifty-eight,” This kicked Zuko into gear, he ran into the house and made a beeline to his bedroom. He grabbed his school backpack and started stuffing random stuff in the half-full bag. He was barely able to think as he counted the seconds in his head, tears blurring his vision as he anxiously looked around what one was his room.</p><p> </p><p>“Zuzu?” Azula yelled, opening her door and then closing it. He assumed Ty Lee was currently hiding in her closet as she walked to his room.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t speak to him, Azula. You don’t have a brother anymore,” Their father commanded from the front foyer, voice ice cold and remorseless.</p><p> </p><p>Azula’s eyes grew wide and panicked as she stared, watching him stuff things into the backpack. “No,” she mumbled to herself. He zipped up the backpack, realizing that his father still has his phone locked away somewhere. He walked out of his room, wiping away tears as he watched Azula do the same, “Don’t go.” She whispered to him, standing completely still.</p><p> </p><p>“I have to,” He reached out and wrapped her in a tight hug. She stood stiff for a second before she hugged him back, holding him tightly. “I-I’m sorry.” He whispered, before letting go and sprinting past his father, who already had a glass of Fireball in his hand. He closed the front door just in time, stepping into the pouring rain as he heard the glass shatter against the wood. </p><p> </p><p>He tried to think of where he could go. Uncle Iroh was still in China, and his aunts always preferred Azula. His mind drifted to Sokka and Katara. He thought about how Sokka was the only one outside the family that really <em> knows </em> about his father. He thought about Katara and their little moment at the ice cream shop. Before he even realized it, he was already walking in the direction of their house. <em> God, I hope they forgive me. </em></p><p>
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  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Oh Zuko,” Katara whispers as Zuko finishes his story. Partway through the story, Katara had moved so that she was sitting next to him at the counter, the two facing each other. She never let go of his hand. “Of course we forgive you. I wasn’t even angry, I was worried!” She watches as a tear runs down his face, but his eyes stay trained on their hands. “I’m so sorry,” Her voice stays quiet as she reaches up and cups his face, thumb brushing the tears away from his scarless cheek.</p><p> </p><p>“Why? You didn’t do anything, it was all me,” He finally looks up from their hands to Katara’s face. As he stares into her eyes, he notices tears welling in her eyes. He can’t help but notice all the little things about her. The way her eyebrows scrunch together, the way she bites on the inside of her lip to keep her from frowning. How warm her hand is as he leans into it, how soft her thumb is as it slowly sways against his skin.</p><p> </p><p>“No, this wasn’t your fault! You don’t deserve this, you’re a good person, Zuko.” His breath hitches as she says that, her determined eyes staring into his, not harsh like his fathers, but protective, of <em> him </em>. “You risked so much for me and Aang’s safety, and I can never thank you enough for that.” He doesn’t think he’s ever been this close to her before, but he kicks himself for not noticing her eyes before. Yes, he always knew they were blue, but he doesn’t think he appreciated them enough. They were dark blue, like the ocean after a storm, but they slowly melted into a softer blue, and right around her pupil, they were a light blue, so light they almost looked gray. Like the soft waves lazily lapping at the sand. He swore he could look at them for hours.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the door bangs open and the moment is broken. <em> God, not again </em> . Katara quickly retracts her hand, almost as if he burnt her, and wraps both her hands around her half-drunk cup of, now cold, tea. She turns around in the spinning chair so that she’s facing the kitchen, and her back is now to her brother as he walks in. Zuko can’t help but look at her from the corner of his eye, and he <em> swears </em>that her cheeks weren’t that red before.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my Katara, you would not <em> believe </em> how hard it is to find these pens!” Sokka yells as loudly and dramatically as humanly possible. He can’t help but chuckle as he watches his best friend make a show of slamming the door, and as he hears Katara groan and buries her head in her hands. “Dude,” he says, his voice normal now, as he walks over to Zuko. “What happened? Actually, come on, we’ll talk it over somewhere more <em> private </em>.” He wraps his arm around Zuko and starts directing him to his room as he glares at his sister, clearly teasing her.</p><p> </p><p>“I was here first, asshole!” She yells, her head emerging from her hands, unable to stop herself from taking the bait. “And I already know everything!” </p><p> </p><p>“Sure you do, baby sister,” He replies sarcastically, flipping her off. She returns the gesture, unable to stop herself from smiling. Sokka keeps dragging him in the direction of his room, as Katara smiled down at the cup in her hands, and he so badly wanted to say something, but he couldn’t quite open his mouth. </p><p> </p><p>He’s about to enter the room when suddenly, he hears Katara’s soft voice, “Hey, Zuko?”</p><p> </p><p>He stops right outside the room, Sokka giving him a weird look, “Yes, Katara?”</p><p> </p><p>She has that same expression that she did when she said she wanted them to be friends, and he can’t help but smile at the memory. “Just so you know, you’re always welcome here. I don’t know if you have anywhere to go or anything, but you can stay here as long as you want. We would be happy to have you,” When she’s done, her determination slowly settles into a soft smile.</p><p> </p><p>He mirrors the expression, staring into her oh-so blue eyes once again, “Thank you, that means a lot to me.” And it did.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Maybe Something Not so Platonic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>While Zuko wait's for Iroh to come back, he stays with Katara and Sokka while studying for his exams to get into Ba Sing Se. Hijinks ensue</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next morning they filled their father in on Zuko’s situation, and he was happy to open his home up to the young boy. But their dad insisted on him finding a relative to live with soon. After some praying on Sokka and Katara’s part, they found out that his Uncle Iroh, who he’s told them so much about, is in China.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have to call him!” Katara yells, looking up from her laptop, where she is researching ways for him to pass his junior year despite him being expelled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you said I could stay as long as I want!” He counters, a small smirk finding its way onto his mouth as he points a pen at her. In front of him is a notepad that is currently filled with stuff he forgot at his house. They know his father won’t be home on Monday night, so they plan on sneaking into his house to get anything he left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know that’s not what I’m talking about you little shit! Your uncle knows about your situation and clearly cares about you. He would definitely want to know everything that happened!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’d just want to come home early, and it would ruin his whole trip! I’m not going to do that to him!” Zuko yells back, despite the fact that they are just across from the table from each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would upset him more if you waited a </span>
  <em>
    <span>month </span>
  </em>
  <span>to tell him what your father did to you!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know my uncle!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, but if it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>me, </span>
  </em>
  <span>I would rather know and come home early than be left in the dark!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, your sister is being impossible!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sokka, your best friend is being unreasonable!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both look to Sokka, who is sitting between them, looking up how to transfer to Ba Sing Se. Suki currently is sitting in his lap, looking at the sheet Zuko has given her that shows his grades and comparing it to what you need to go to Ba Sing Se. Sokka reluctantly looks up before sighing and going back to his research, “Sorry dude, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Katara.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Suki?” He asks, looking at the girl pleadingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry bro, she makes some solid points,” she replies, not even bothering to look up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aang?” He yells to the younger boy, who is looking up where to take the exams he needs outside of his school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope, Katara’s right,” The youngest says almost fondly</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Toph, come on, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> agree with Katara. You think I’m right, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toph, who is currently on the phone with her parents, who donate a lot to the school, trying to convince them to pull some strings to get Zuko in, covers the microphone of her smartphone. She glares at him and commands,  “Just man up and call him Sparky!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko groans and slumps in the chair he’s in, covering his eyes. No one says anything until suddenly he feels something cold and plastic put in his hand. He opens his eyes to see Katara standing beside him and their home phone placed in his hand. “Just call him, he’ll be happy to hear from you.” She smiles at him and gives him a thumbs-up, trying to encourage him, before going to sit back down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighs and dials his Uncle’s cellphone. He picks up on the third ring. “Hey, Uncle.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After an hour and a half long conversation, Zuko hangs up the phone only to be met with the expectant faces of his friends. “Well?” Aang asked, leaning on the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s coming home early, but the earliest he can come is next week, but he was really grateful I told him. He says that I can live at his house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And was he relieved to hear from you?” Katara asks, voice just edging on teasing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko groans and buries his head in his hands, muffled voice slipping from between his fingers, “Don’t make me say it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka chimed in, shifting so that his head was on Suki’s shoulder and his arms were around her waist. “Dude, from experience, she’s not going to let it go. She didn’t talk to me for a month once, I mean that was a good thing but-HEY!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara pulled her hand back from where she slapped her brother on the shoulder, only to look back at Zuko smugly. He watched her through his fingers, arms crossed, and a small smirk dancing across her lips. He feels something stir in him, some emotion that causes his heart to beat a little faster and for butterflies to start swarming in his stomach, as he looks into her eyes. He remembers a time when every time those bright blue eyes looked at him, they were dark, filled with spite and hate, as if watching the ocean in the middle of a storm. Now, they are bright, filled with playfulness and confidence. His mind drifts to the night before, sitting so close, her hand resting on his cheek, staring into her eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She looks good, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zuko can’t help but think as heat rises to his cheeks. He quietly mumbles the words as he desperately tries to hide the blush on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, what was that?” He can hear the smirk in her voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were right!” He says finally, voice louder, but still keeping his head in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looks up in time to see Katara smiling and laughing, smile wide and open. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Her laugh is really pretty</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Zuko groans and buries his head in his hands again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is going to be a long week.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara had thought she would be fine with Zuko living with them, I mean, she lived with Sokka her entire life, anyone else would be a piece of cake. She was wrong. Zuko had been living with them for four days and she can’t seem to act normal around him. She racks her brain for how they interacted before, but she can’t seem to find an answer. And the worst part? It’s not even that he’s being annoying or inconsiderate, it’s that he’s being infuriatingly </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko was unbelievably considerate, helpful, and respectful, and it was messing with Katara’s head. He’s always first to ask if she needs help with anything, cooking dinner, washing dishes, laundry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>vacuuming. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She always tells him that he doesn’t have to do anything and he just looks at her with his dumb pretty eyes that look golden and intense and genuine, then has the audacity to say “I know, I want to.” He’s purposefully trying to kill her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And she never quite considered the fact that they have so much in common. Though she’s seen the Zuko that fights with Sokka, and jokes around with Toph, and yells about TV shows with Aang, and spars with Suki, she never saw </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zuko. The Zuko that sits for hours, tirelessly working on an assignment, hair tied in a cute little top knot. The Zuko that sees that she’s stressed and offers to make her tea and while telling bad jokes that make her laugh anyway. The Zuko that studies and writes sheet music for the french horn and gets really embarrassed and flustered when Katara catches him. The Zuko who sits at the table with a notebook and a cup of tea and a phone against his ear as he talks to his uncle, smile never leaving his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not to mention that she had never been this </span>
  <em>
    <span>close </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him. She could treat him like she always treats Sokka, but that doesn’t feel right, because the way she feels about Zuko is...different. In all honesty, she doesn’t know how she feels about Zuko. Actually, that’s a lie, she knows exactly how she feels about Zuko, she just doesn’t want to admit it. She doesn’t think she could ever admit it to him, not if he and Sokka are friends. When he turns her down, it will make the boys too awkward, and she wouldn’t dare do that to Sokka.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara stands at the counter, starting dinner and staring at the window as the boys layed on the grass in the mid-afternoon sun. Katara and Sokka just got home from school and it was Sokka’s turn to work with Zuko on exam prep, mainly working on history and math, so the pair went straight to the backyard. They had gotten the clearance for Zuko’s transfer, but that was only if he passes all his exams with good enough grades to overlook the explosion. Ever since they got the news, everyone has been doing their part in helping Zuko study so that he can spend their senior year with the rest of the gang.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite the fact that Zuko was supposed to be studying while they were away, Katara got home to a clean house, dishes washed and fresh cookies made and sitting on the counter cooling. She smiles down at them before her eyes drift back up to the window. Zuko sits with his back against the big oak tree that sits in their backyard, while Sokka lays on his back next to him, a book held above his head. Katara can’t help but stare at Zuko as he works, admiring him in the sunlight. Dark hair shining in the sun, bright gold eyes, sharp jaw, scar. She found herself staring at his cheek a lot, thinking about it far too often. That day at the ice cream shop, he let her touch it, even leaned into her touch a little bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“God, I need help,” She mumbles to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With what?” She screams, spinning quickly to see a rather shocked Zuko standing in the kitchen. Her eyes quickly glance out the window to see Sokka now pacing around the backyard on the phone. She had been so busy daydreaming about Zuko, she hadn’t noticed that he had gotten up and come inside. Her eyes drift back to Zuko, a small shy smile finding his lips, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! We’re just taking a break, but if you need help with dinner, I can lend a hand?” He sounds rather unsure of himself, but he doesn’t back down, his arm coming up to rub the back of his neck. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How dare you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No Zuko, you should be studying! I’ll be fine,” She tries to hide how flustered she feels behind a too-wide smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, we’re just reviewing now. Besides, if we work together, we’ll finish faster and then </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>can study too. I’m not the only one with exams, Katara,” He takes a step toward her, eyes softening as he talks to her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is so </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>unfair</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>, how </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>dare </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>you make me feel this way. How </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>dare</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> you be so considerate and honest and soft </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>AHHHH</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Yea, that would be great.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two set to work on the meal, chopping, stirring, and pan-frying. Katara very clearly didn’t think this through, because, not unlike their house, the kitchen is rather small. There is never a moment when Katara and Zuko aren’t touching. Shoulder to shoulder, him touching her back or her shoulder as he walks by, sharing the recipe. It’s going to kill her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko currently stands at the counter, chopping, reading the recipe as he goes, while Katara starts gathering spices. She leans over his shoulder, trying to read the list of ingredients, and it takes her a second to realize what she’s doing. They are really close, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>close. She’s standing almost flush against his back, her head resting on his shoulder. He’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>warm, </span>
  </em>
  <span>it makes her feel like she’s sitting by a campfire, or being wrapped in a cozy blanket. He smells like spices and campfire wood, and she feels how soft his hair is as it tickles her cheek, and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ow!” Zuko suddenly yells, and she stumbles back, catching herself on the other island.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” She asks, concern leaking into her voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turns around and watches as her eyes follow the drop of blood down the back of his hand, “I kinda, uh, cut myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh god! Okay, come with me,” She commands, grabbing his noninjured hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He resists her pull as she tries to drag him to the bathroom, “Katara, I’m fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zuko, you’re bleeding. Just let me help,” She begs, grabbing his other hand to get a good look at the cut. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It looked shallow enough that he didn’t need stitches, still bleeding quite a bit though</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she thinks as she looks at the slash across his index and middle finger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looks away, eyes trained on the wall. Her eyes are determined and calculating, holding his hand softly. He feels her hand cradled his as he blushes and begrudgingly mumbles, “Fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiles at him and pulls him into the powder room closest to the kitchen. It’s small, barely enough to fit the two of them together, so Katara gestures for Zuko to sit down on the toilet. As Zuko sits, Katara grabs the first aid kit and stands between his legs. She gets to work on his hand, cleaning it and putting pressure on the two fingers, as he stares at her. “You know, I could have done this myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, but I would feel better if I did,” She teases, delicate fingers grazing over his own. Her voice suddenly gets serious, her eyes never leaving his hand, “Why didn’t you want me to?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His breath catches a little bit as she applies some cream that stings, “People don’t normally take care of me like this. I mean, my Uncle always would, if I ever got,” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fireball breath stains his nose as his father yells at him, fist raised as he pushes him down the front steps, onto the pavement. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Hurt. But it was always only him, and I wasn’t always the nicest to him, but he took care of me anyway. I suppose I’m just not used to it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katara feels her heart sink, sympathy drenching her soul. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How could someone ever do that to you?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thinks of his father, about his scar, about the night he showed up at their door, and her sympathy mixes with anger. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ozai will be lucky if he never meets me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Well you better get used to it,” She says, determination and protectiveness filling her voice. He looks up from her slow-moving hands to meet raging blue eyes, not raging mad, but flowing waves of determined devotion, “Because now you have me.” There’s a beat before she realizes what she said, embarrassment replacing all the boldness she once held. “Uh, I meant </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>! You have </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>! And we always take care of each other, so, you know…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>He hasn’t stopped </span><em><span>looking </span></em><span>at her, that dumb little smile painting his lips. </span><em><span>His lips look nice...we’re really close, were we always this close?</span></em> <em><span>His eyes are so bright they look like tiny suns. </span></em><span>She suddenly coughs, realizing that she was leaning in, “How did you even do this, anyway? Do I need to lock the knives away from you?” Her voice is filled with mirth as she smiles at him, trying to cut the tension that fills the small, and suddenly hot, bathroom.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He feels his breath hitch, as he watches her smile grow. Some of her hair falls in front of her face as she applies the multiple bandages to his hands, and he resists the urge to it out of her face. “I just got…” </span>
  <em>
    <span>She’s so close, her hand is so soft. I can feel her breath on my ear, she is so</span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em> close</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>. She smells like saltwater and fire lilies. It would be so easy to turn around and grab her hand and look her in those pretty blue eyes- </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Distracted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko looks at her with an intensity that rivals a forest fire, and she feels herself being drawn in again like he’s a magnet. She’s about to say something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get him to keep looking at her like that until the smell of smoke reaches her nose. She wrinkles her nose and their eyes meet in a moment of realization and fear. Grabbing his hand, they run into the kitchen to take, the now blackened, food off the stove. Zuko deals with the food while Katara opens windows, their moment of tranquility and intimacy long gone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sokka, seeing the smoke leave the open windows, peaks his head in, “Can we order pizza?”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The days passed in a blur of studying and prepping, all leading up to tonight. It was the final night before exams started. Zuko had been quiet all day, headphones in and head stuck in a book. He had skipped dinner, much to Katara’s chagrin, so she left a plate in the microwave and slid a note under Sokka and, for the time being, Zuko’s door. She was happy to see that, when she got up to get a glass of water right before she went to bed at eleven, the plate was eaten and sitting on the drying rack, clean and polished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko was both incredibly lucky and unlucky. They were having him only take exams for core classes, but, due to his circumstances, he had to take all four on the same day, one after another. She knew how hard he worked, and she was sure he would pass, but he also looked incredibly stressed. She started making him jasmine tea when she hadn’t seen him in at least four hours, not only to make sure that he hadn’t passed out on his laptop but also just to see him. Check on him, helping him with whatever he needed, talk to him for a second just to make sure he wasn’t losing his mind up there. She and Sokka took turns, going up making sure he was okay, filling in the other sibling. Their life became like clockwork.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s three AM when Katara wakes up. She slowly trudges out of bed in nothing but her dad’s oversized Navy shirt and short shorts to go to the bathroom. Walking into the hallway, her breath catches and her heart stops as she sees the window is open, curtains waving in the moonlight that streams in. Fear seizes her as her hand reaches for the baseball bat that sits next to her door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t make a sound. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She slowly creeps forward, careful to not make a sound. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t come out until mommy tells you, please?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She draws the bat back, ready to swing it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love both of you, so much. Sokka, keep your sister safe</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Two steps away, she adjusts her grip on the bat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Goodbye. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sees a shadowy figure sitting on the roof, but the closer she gets, the sooner she sees the giant red splotch that covers half of their face. “Zuko?” The tired teen boy looks up as Katara lowers the bat, setting it next to the window. She can see the deep, dark circle that hides under his right eye, she can see how sad and sacred he looks as he clutches his legs to his bare chest. “What are you doing up? You should be getting some rest.” She climbs through the window and crawls next to him, sitting shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Couldn’t sleep.” His voice sounds hollow, his eyes returning to the night sky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Talk to me, Zuko. I know this is more than pre-test jitters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sit in silence, both looking at the stars. Katara waits patiently, willing to sit out here all night if it means getting Zuko to get what he needs off his chest. If only he realized that this isn’t his normal house, that feelings are allowed, in fact, they are welcomed. “I’m scared I’ll fail.” His voice is small, and if she wasn’t as close as she was, she wouldn’t have been able to hear him. His words tremble out of him as his grip tightens around his legs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then you’ll take it again-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, what if I </span>
  <em>
    <span>fail</span>
  </em>
  <span>. What if I disappoint Uncle again and he doesn’t take me in? What if they don’t let me into Ba Sing Se? What if I have to go </span>
  <em>
    <span>back</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Katara I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>go back-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stops him, reaching over and grabbing the hand that is digging into his calf. He finally looks at her, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>looks at her. “Zuko, that won’t happen! Despite your frustratingly thick skull, you are incredibly smart and you’ve worked so hard for this. And your uncle won’t just turn his back on you, I mean, he’s coming home early from</span>
  <em>
    <span> China</span>
  </em>
  <span> just to make sure you are okay. And, worst comes to worst, Toph’s parents can just make a ‘generous donation’ to get you in.” She smiles softly as he chuckles at her words, grip loosening. “But it won’t come to that. You’ve got this Zuko, I have faith in you. And I would rather die than let you go back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t say anything, he just squeezes her hand and matches her soft smile. She doesn’t think she’s fully convinced him, but it’s a start, and she meant every word. She stands up on the slightly slanted roof, offering her other hand to him, “Now, come on. You need some sleep for tomorrow.” He takes her other hand and she hoists him up, taking only a moment to savor their closeness before they walk inside together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite the fact that neither of the siblings have to be up that early, right before Zuko runs out the door, Katara hands him a thermos of jasmine tea and Sokka hands him a freshly made egg sandwich. A note sits on top of each, the brother and sister’s handwriting contrasting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Knock’em dead, Jerkbender. You’ll make all the other kids surrender ;p -Sokka</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’ve got this Zuko! We can go get ice cream after you pass, and I won’t even make fun of your for getting vanilla ~Katara</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Monday night rolls around, four days after Zuko’s exams, and the gang sits in Appa down the street from Zuko’s old house. “Are you sure you are okay doing this alone?” Aang asks anxiously from the back seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got this. Besides, I got Sokka, so I’m not </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh please, Sokka is just the lookout, that doesn’t count. Just please, be careful? Both of you!” Katara yells, Sokka and Zuko already getting out of the van. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, mom!” Sokka yells back, sticking his tongue out as they jog to the house. When they get there, Sokka stands in the front, keeping an eye out for Ozai’s bright red car, while Zuko climbs the pipe next to his room. He does it with ease, sneaking in and out of the house to see Iroh more times than he should have, and it takes no time at all. When he lands in his room, he opens his backpack and takes out the paper of things he forgot, ready to start stuffing stuff inside, only to stop. The room is empty. The bare bones of a stripped bed, an empty closet, and an unfilled bookcase. There’s no evidence that he once lived here. No pictures of him and Iroh or worse, him and his mother. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He desperately tears through the room, desperate to find something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> of his. He’s halfway through the draws of his desk when a voice comes from the door, “You won’t find anything, it’s all gone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zuko looks up to see Azula standing in the doorway, rigid as a board, “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The day after he kicked you out, he burned everything he could find in your room,” Zuko dropped to his knees, head dropping in grief. All the things he lost, all that's left of his mother, everything Iroh gave him, Lu Ten’s- “You’re lucky that you have me! Because I, knowing he would be the crazy bastard he is, stashed things I thought you would want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He raised his head to see his sister holding up a large duffle bag of stuff, a smug smirk playing across her face. Without hesitation, Zuko runs at her, wrapping her in a tight hug. As per usual, she takes a second, tensing up before she drops the duffle bag and hugs him back as tightly as he clings to her. “I’m so sorry I left you here.” He chokes out, holding her as if she were his lifeline.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I, I don’t blame you. I couldn’t have left anyway, not even if I wanted to,” she says slowly, pulling away and schooling her features so she becomes emotionless. For a moment, he sees his father in her eyes, and it scares him to his core.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could. You could come live with me at Katara and Sokka’s house, and then with Iroh,” He offers, hope seeping from his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His words look like they pain her, her eyes squeezing shut, “Iroh’s never liked me, Zuko.” Her voice is cold, and he tries to remember the last time she called him Zuko, it hurts him a little bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He just hasn’t gotten to </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>you without Father there. Please, ‘Zula, just come with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>Zuko! And you don’t have the time to argue with me. Just take the bag and go so you don’t get caught. I know, you were never here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shoves the duffle bag into his hands, and he looks inside to find she has grabbed almost everything on his list. His favorite books sit at the bottom, a couple of his favorite comic books, some of his favorite clothes and shoes, including the sweatshirt that has his mother’s college on it and his converse and combat boots. His French horn plus his music books sit in one corner while the other is filled with a framed picture of him as a baby and his mother, and a framed picture of him, Iroh, and Lu Ten at the grand opening of</span>
  <em>
    <span> The Jasmine Dragon</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He sees the novelty zippo lighter and butterfly knife that Iroh gave him, and his mother’s hairpin and necklace. Finally, placed on top was his phone, his mother’s necklace, and a polaroid of Azula and him together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two had taken the photo on the last trip to Ember Island they went on together. They went every year for a long time, but their father became fed up with it. Their beach house hadn’t been touched in over three years now, and their father said they're never going back. In a small act of rebellion, they used Ozai’s portrait as kindling for the fire they held on the beach, the night before they left. The polaroid shows the two of them smiling, arms around each other’s shoulders, as you see flames consume Ozai’s face behind them. In Azula’s perfect cursive, a thin black sharpie reads “Sibling Things”. Mai and Tia Lee took the picture, marshmallows, and chocolate at the ready. He smiles down at it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, ‘Zula. This it, it means a lot.  You’re the best sister a guy could ask for.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mask melts and she beams at him with pride, “You say that, but I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!” She grabs something from behind the door, revealing Lu Ten’s sticker-covered guitar case. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now </span>
  </em>
  <span>you can praise me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiles, about to do exactly that, when he feels Aang’s borrowed phone vibrate in his pocket, and his face pales as his smile drops. “Dad’s coming home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Azula’s smile falls too and she loops the guitar around this back for him then pushes him backward, “Go you loser! I don’t want to get caught because of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He throws his backpack in the duffle and zips it up before throwing it out the window. He’s about to climb out when he stops, looking at Azula, staring at him from the doorway. He starts, hopefully extending an invitation to her again, but an easier one, “I’m going to Ba Sing Se next year, and, if, you know, you wanted to come see me after school under the veil of like, spying or whatever, I would really like to see you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nods slowly, as if to allow herself time to bail. She eventually leaves him with a smirk, “I would like that too, Zuzu.” He can’t wipe the smile off his face, not as he drops from the window, not as he runs with Sokka, not when he gets to the van. Even when he’s settling into his little blow-up mattress beside Sokka, he smiles as he slips into slumber.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Coming of Age Things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How the gang spends their summer, featuring Zuko working at The Jasmine Dragon</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I regret moving in with you,” Zuko mumbles as Iroh ties a <em> Jasmine Dragon </em> apron around his waist. He moved into Iroh’s house a week ago, and he wasn’t expecting Iroh to put him to put him to work immediately.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Zuko, working will be <em> good </em>for you! And it’s not like I won’t pay you,” He finishes, stepping away and admiring the uniform Zuko stands in. A white collared shirt under a maroon colored sweater, dark jeans, his boots, and an army green apron with a dragon wrapping around a jasmine flower. “You look good, Nephew.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Uncle, but I really don’t think I’m the best person to work here,” He mumbles, scuffing his boots against the hardwood floor of the café.<br/><br/></p><p>“We disagree,” Sokka’s voice rings out through the empty shop, the rest of the gang wandering in behind him. </p><p> </p><p>“What are you guys doing here?”</p><p> </p><p>“The more important question,” Toph starts, pushing past Sokka and walking up to Zuko, “Is how come you never told me your uncle was Iroh?” </p><p> </p><p>“You-you know Uncle?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hell yeah, I do! Me and Aang have been regulars for <em> years </em>. We’ve even dragged the rest of the losers here a bunch of times. Iroh’s the only person I get tea from!”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? Iroh?” Zuko can’t help but raise an eyebrow at the fact. His best friends knew his favorite person? </p><p> </p><p>“When you said you had new friends, why didn’t you mention it was Toph? I’ve never had a more loyal customer. Looks like you have rather good taste,  my boy. Now hurry, we must open soon.”</p><p> </p><p>Katara finally speaks up, stepping next to her blind friend and putting an arm around her, “Sorry to bother you, we just figured you would want this.” She presents a letter with a bright green stamp in the corner. <em> Ba Sing Se.  </em></p><p> </p><p>His eyes linger on the torn edge, smiling at her knowingly, “It’s open? Who caved?”</p><p> </p><p>“I did,” She says rather sheepishly, before she breaks into a big grin, “But it holds good news.”</p><p> </p><p>“I passed?”</p><p> </p><p>“With flying colors. Welcome to the Earth Kingdom, Fire Prince.” She opens her arm that isn’t around Toph, and the smaller girl mirrors the action. He hesitates, unsure of what exactly they want, before finally caving and walking into the girls’ embrace. “Awww, group hug!” Aang yells, before Suki, Sokka, and Aang also join. He’s never had something like this, a group that supports him and takes time out of their own lives to make sure he can succeed. <em> I could get used to this.  </em></p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Zuko likes working at <em> The Jasmine Dragon </em> more than he thought he would. Since he works a lot, the gang slowly gravitates toward hanging out at the cozy café, sitting at one of the bigger tables, talking and joking around, Zuko coming to hang out with them whenever he gets the chance. He really enjoys making drinks, finding it calming and kinda fun. The gang also tends to humor him a lot more than he thinks they should, often staying with him late at the shop. Some days they sit, huddled in a booth or, much to Zuko’s chagrin, sitting on tables enjoying drinks that he made special for each of them while he closes. Other days, they might even help, cutting off the café’s normal easy listening music to turn on something much louder and upbeat as they work.</p><p> </p><p>There are nights where just Sokka comes, lazily dragging around a mop as he drowns on about soccer and how their new players are all garbage, or he and Suki’s date last Friday night. Sometimes Aang stops by, not really helping, but talking with him, keeping him entertained (he thinks Aang gets lonely, and now that he’s thought about it, Aang doesn’t really mention his family, ever). Suki will stop by, though it’s less often than others, and she helps the most, friendly conversation flowing as she wipes down tables. Toph doesn’t normally come and help him, but she does occasionally come and talk to him while she cradles a little teacup in her hands.</p><p> </p><p>Katara comes quite a bit though, and he has to try not to smile every time he thinks about it. She’ll always walk in, talking loudly before the door can even close behind her. He’ll stop working and make her his favorite drink of the day, never hers. “I’ve had my drink about a million times, I want to see what <em> you </em> like. Have you been working on your latte art and are really proud of it? Did you get a new blend, or a drink you like making? Pretty please?” She asked him the first time she showed up after hours, and he couldn’t bring himself to say no to her. </p><p> </p><p>Once she has a drink in hand, she immediately starts helping, doing everything he will let her do. She would laugh as she would ask him about his day, letting him rant about customers he had to deal with that day. Ruffling his hair as she walks by with a mop, or whipping him with the towel she was using. Despite his love for everyone in the gang, his favorite nights are when she saunters into the shop, hands moving rapidly and eyes sparkling with happiness.</p><p> </p><p>But those were the nights, the days were different, yet the same. The gang would still wander in, sometimes together, sometimes one at a time. Sometimes he would get a text (<em> Hey, are you working rn? </em>), sometimes they would just show up, him not realizing it was them until they were at his register, teasing smiles matching their order. Sokka and his soccer friends walking in, the sounds of cleats and laughter marching in like a band. Aang in baggy workout clothes, sweaty and out of breath, asking for nothing but a cup of water and a chat. Suki wanders in with a gym bag and a group of girls dressed in green hoodies. Toph walking in, her new seeing eye dog Badger with her, pushing past the line and sitting down in the backroom for tea with Iroh and Zuko. Katara charging in, cardboard sign in hand like a sword, and leaning over the counter, smile bright enough to outshine the burning sun.</p><p> </p><p>He finds his days flipping by, green aprons growing worn and faded as the scorching sun streams through the windows. Today, the boys came in early, green and yellow jerseys drenched and soccer balls in hand, sitting in the big booth by the window with water cups. Then later Toph Katara and Suki walk in, arms linked around each other as they laugh about their spa day and ordering drinks and some banana bread to split. They sit at the booth with the boys and the group immediately tears at the treat he just baked, all messy fingers and big smiles. Leaning on his hand, he smiles at his friends from behind the counter, and all he could think is <em> yeah, I could get used to this </em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko,” Uncle Iroh starts, walking out of the backroom, “Has that new blend came in yet? I want to put it on display soon?” </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, I don’t know…” Suddenly a flash of pink and red and the sound of a high-pitched bell stops his words. Ty Lee and Azula walk into the shop hand and hand, Ty Lee’s smile big as she talks about her favorite drink at the shop. Azula has this smile on her face, it isn’t big or extravagant, it’s just the small tilt of her lips, subtle and genuine and <em> personal </em>. And, shockingly, that smile is slowly directed at him. Only when she notices Iroh standing there does her happiness waver.</p><p> </p><p>“Iroh…” Her voice is hard, but the fear that burns in her eyes betrays her. Her hands tighten around Ty Lee’s as they stand in the middle of the cozy tea shop. No one else seems to notice her yet, not even the gang, but Zuko can’t take his eyes off her. She looks <em> tired </em> , dark circles resting under eyes that mirror his own. His stomach drops, weighed down by guilt and regret. <em> I shouldn’t have left her </em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Azula!” Iroh yells, a warm smile painted across his jolly face. If Zuko could compare Iroh to anything, it would be a fresh chocolate chip cookie with milk, comforting, warm, and always welcoming. Most of the customers finally look up, his friends included, and he feels a little fear stir in his stomach. “Niece, how are you? It’s been awhile since you came to visit me. Oh, Ty Lee! I didn’t know you two were friends,” His eyes flick down to their hands for a split second, but his face doesn’t change. </p><p> </p><p>Azula squares her shoulders, eyes burning, but based on the way she clenches Ty Lee’s hand and how Ty Lee rubs circles on her arm, she’s still terrified. “Actually, Uncle, we aren’t friends. Ty Lee is my girlfriend.”</p><p> </p><p>Iroh’s smile grows as he clasps his hands together, “How adorable! My mediation partner and my niece are dating, I can see you two balance each other out, you know I always say that you can learn and grow by looking into the opposite-”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, but what did you mean when you said ‘meditation partner’?” Azula questions, using the hand not held by Ty Lee to make air quotes.</p><p> </p><p>“Azula, he’s the nice old man in my yoga class that always gives me coupons to his shop!” Ty Lee comments elbowing her girlfriend.</p><p> </p><p>“You never said it was Iroh!”</p><p> </p><p>“How was I supposed to know your uncle’s name is Iroh! I’ve never seen you two together before.” </p><p> </p><p>“Speaking of yoga,” Iroh interrupts the couple’s bickering, “Ty Lee, you must try my new blend! It’s not on display yet, but it helps centering you. I think it would really help your class.” </p><p> </p><p>“That sounds great,” She yells, genuine excitement filling her voice, before turning to Azula and kissing her on the cheek, a bright pink smudge and a subtle blush covering her face, “Be right back!”</p><p> </p><p>Zuko volts over the counter and meets Azula halfway, the duo leaning against the wall by the sugar. “You and Ty Lee are still going strong,” he comments, watching Iroh and Ty Lee talk by their wall of tea tins.</p><p> </p><p>“Why wouldn’t we be?” Azula snaps, tearing her eyes away from her pink girlfriend to glare at him.</p><p> </p><p>“The whole dad thing scares me. I, I know how crazy he is and how much he...” He watches his sister, slumped against the wall, eyes trained on her platforms. He wants to say what his father really is, a raging homophobe, a bastard who deserves to die, a terrible father, an abuser, but he knows that won’t get him anywhere, not with Azula. “Disapproves of Ty Lee. I just think you would be <em> safer </em> with me and Iroh.”</p><p> </p><p>Azula’s voice sounds strained and tired, her teeth clenched so hard they might snap, “Zuzu, we talked about this-”</p><p> </p><p>“I know ‘Zula, just hear me out-”</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko, the answer is no. Iroh wouldn’t-”</p><p> </p><p>“But he would-”</p><p> </p><p>“No, I’m not leaving!” Anger burns in her eyes and her voice as she launches off the wall to threaten him, the two strands of hair that frame her face becoming messy as she moves. Her mouth is open, ready to roast him alive, to blame him for leaving her in the first place, he’s sure, but she is cut off. Ty Lee’s loud and bubbly laugh cuts through the tension the ‘fire siblings’ (As Sokka called them) had created. Iroh and Ty Lee were joined by his group of friends, and they were laughing at some joke Aang made, all of them leaning on each other. Ty Lee’s smile is wide and happy, and Zuko watches as Azula softens, anger dying down to fondness as her eyes linger on her peppy girlfriend.</p><p> </p><p>Iroh seems to feel the duo’s stares and looks up, waving at Azula and beckoning her over. The movement is interrupted by Ty Lee, who holds a tin of tea up to Iroh’s face, eyes sparkling with questions and intrigue. “Azula?” Zuko asks, reaching out to touch his sister’s shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Say I said I would, what would that mean?” Her back is to him, still staring at the joyful group, so he can’t see her face.</p><p> </p><p>“It would mean not having to wait until dad leaves for Ty Lee to come over, and not having to hide her in your closet. It means being able to have a life, and not having to be the perfect child for dad. You can do whatever you want, be whoever you want. No more whisky, or yelling or big empty house, or prep school uniforms. It would mean staying in the room we have ready for you, if you want it. ”</p><p> </p><p>Silence stretches between them for a minute, neither wanting to be the first to break it. A mental game of chess, just waiting for the first person to move their queen. “I’ll think about it.” Her voice betrays no emotion, but Zuko can’t stop a huge smile from spreading across his face. Azula finally turns around, a teasing smile playing across red lips, “But only if I don’t have to work here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no, that's a requirement.” Zuko’s smile has never been this big before.</p><p> </p><p>“But I look <em> terrible </em> in green!”</p><p> </p><p>“That's not true, but I’m sure I could talk Iroh down to a blue, but I doubt you’ll get him to a red,” He jokes back, slinging an arm around her shoulders and dragging her towards the laughter of his friends.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>It’s Aang’s idea, but they make all the plans. The group is lounging in his kitchen as they try to make cookies without burning the house down. Suki opens every cupboard in the kitchen looking for Aang’s Cinnamon while Sokka and Zuko try to work Aang’s fancy oven. Toph keeps trying to steal some batter while Katara tries to juggle hitting her hand every time her fingers get close and reading the recipe. Aang scrolls through his phone, knowing he’s a disaster in the kitchen without supervision, and the way these cookies are currently going, they can’t take the risk. </p><p> </p><p>“We should go on a road trip to Ember Island!” He yells suddenly, slamming down his phone against the stone countertop.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Sokka immediately yells.</p><p> </p><p>“Why?” Toph asks nonchalantly, hand getting smacked by Katara again.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s this huge arcade grand opening thing being held there, and the new <em> Street Bender </em>is being unveiled!”</p><p> </p><p>“I love that game!” Sokka, Suki, and Toph all yell at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>“Plus there’s this whole Fire Days Festival thing that week with a ton of fireworks and it’s a couple of days after. Come on, summers ending soon!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, let's do it!” Sokka exclaims, immediately turning and giving Katara puppy dog eyes. Toph, Suki, and Aang all join in, the same thing they do any time they want to do anything they know Katara wouldn’t approve of.</p><p> </p><p>Katara’s eyes linger on Zuko, who's been weirdly quiet the entire time, hand holding onto the oven handle for dear life. “I don’t know guys, Emder island is <em> super </em> expensive, even if we pulled all of our resources, we could probably rent a one-bedroom, if we’re lucky. And I don’t feel like sleeping in Appa, not again.”</p><p> </p><p>“We could stay at my dad’s place,” Zuko mumbles, and based on the way he widens his eyes, something tells her he didn’t mean to say that.</p><p> </p><p>“Really, wouldn’t he get pissed?” Suki asks, finally pulling out a spice bottle of cinnamon and bringing it over to Katara.</p><p> </p><p>“We, he hasn’t been there in years, but we own it and he refuses to sell it. It’s big enough for all of us and I know the security code. I want a final summer memory with you guys.” His confidence grows as he keeps speaking, slowly becoming more sure of himself. The group cheers and all rush over to Aang, who has information on the arcade pulled up on his phone already, except Katara and Zuko, who hang back. </p><p> </p><p>She walks up to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, “Are you sure you're okay with this? You look a little shaken up.”</p><p> </p><p>Zuko nods, staring at his friends and then swallows, “Yep, all good.”</p><p> </p><p>Katara and Sokka plan a four-day trip, plus two extra days, one for driving there and one for driving back. Katara make’s checklists and Sokka makes the schedule and works out how much money they need. While Katara is gathering food supplies, Sokka is checking times and gas prices. While Katara text’s everyone a list of clothes and toiletries they would need, Sokka looks up restaurants and local spots. While Katara collects card games and the projector, Sokka checks distances, times, and routes. While Katara starts loading things into Appa, Sokka slips some alcohol into his bag. They make a great team.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone meets at Aang’s, then they load their bags into Appa, or if it’s too big, strap it to the top. Duffle bags, beach bags, and suitcases are thrown into the trunk while messenger bags, backpacks, and mom bags (In Katara’s case) are thrown in the back seat. Pillows, blankets, and towels pile in the backseat with the bags as Katara checks to make sure they have everything. </p><p> </p><p>Everyone brought something special, something personal. Strapped to the hood of the van is Katara’s surfboard. Hidden under the mountain of pillows is Zuko’s guitar, the one Lu Ten gave to him. Deep in the pile of bags, Toph’s sandcastle building stuff sits in a mesh bag. Aang's windsurfing board sits in the corner, ready to be assembled. Suki’s martial arts bag is strapped on top of Katara’s surfboard, holding a bo staff, fans, and many other hidden treasures, including Sokka’s fencing stuff. Finally, Sokka had a bag in the back seat, hidden underneath the seats. Inside is stuff for collecting, identifying, and making things out of seashells.</p><p> </p><p>The trunk door slams, and everyone piles in, Sokka driving, Suki in passenger, Katara and Zuko in the middle row, and Toph and Aang in the back. </p><p> </p><p>“ROADTRIP!” Sokka screams, and everyone else cheers in return. Suki hits shuffle on a playlist called “Coming of Age Things” and they are off.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Something in the Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>As the group spends their last days of summer at Ember Island, Katara and Zuko find it harder and harder to hide how they feel about each other</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was much longer than intended...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko had thought the road trip would be insufferable. The only other times he had made the five-hour-long trip to Ember Island, it was with his family, or Azula and her friends. With his family, the trip was tense, Azula would annoy him, then he would get angry and yell, and his mom would try to calm them down. Then his father would get fed up and yell at them, then silence. Rinse, repeat until they would arrive at the beach. When he went, for the last time, with Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula, was better, but not great. Azula and Ty Lee spent the entire time being all gross in the back seat, and Mai was, as usual, quiet while she played rock music loudly over the stereo.</p><p> </p><p>With the gang, it was different. Appa, the dog, not the van, ran from lap to lap, licking faces and hands, sticking his head out windows. Soft music played in the background, a mix of something everyone would like, only being turned up when it was a song everyone loved so that they could scream the lyrics. The van is filled with chatter, always. Whether it be Sokka telling some outrageous, and probably not true, story or Aang and Toph joking around in the backseat and dragging everyone else into their jokes.</p><p> </p><p>The five hours flew by, laughter and happy voices flowing through the van and out the open windows. Images of Sokka and Suki holding hands over the center console, and Katara painting his nails black, and Aang sitting with Toph, helping her paint some pottery she made. There are car games and Katara teaching Zuko how to braid Suki’s hair, and junk food passed around. He smiles so much it hurts, watching his friends laugh and joke. He almost forgets why he was nervous to go in the first place, but when they pull up to the house. The hulking house, all red and gold with slanted roofs, sitting on top of a hill looking overlooking a private beach. </p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit…” Sokka mutters as he pulls into the driveway, putting the van in park. Zuko’s heart claws its way into his throat as he looks at the menacing structure. He can hear the other’s chatter around him but he can’t make out what they are saying, it all becomes muddled, as if they are underwater. Memories bounce around his head before it settles on one.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He’s young, no older than seven, as he lays, covers and pillow over his head. They don’t quite block out all the yelling, but it’s the only defense he has against his father’s harsh voice as it penetrates the walls. His spine straightens as he hears the door open, pulling the blankets tighter around him. Until, “Zuzu?” He looks up to see a six-year Azula standing in the doorway, clutching a stuffed dragon. “Can I sleep with you tonight?” </em>
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  <em> He nods immediately, opening up the covers for her, “Of course,” He whispers, frowning as she sniffles.  </em>
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  <em> She cuddles up next to him, but their peace doesn’t last long. “Why do Mom and Dad always have to fight?” </em>
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  <em> “I don’t know.” As if summoned by their voices, Zuko hears his dad charge up the stairs, steps heavy, angry, and drunken. “Get under the bed.” </em>
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  <em> “Zuzu-” </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> “Get under the bed, </em> <b> <em>now</em></b><em>.</em><em>” Azula scrambles under the bed, taking a blanket with her.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> She barely gets under the bed in time before the door slams open. His father’s form comes into view, shadowed by the light behind him. He looks huge and angry, shoulders rising and falling at an alarming rate. He opens his mouth and-</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko?” He feels someone touch his shoulder, and on instinct, he slaps the hand away. He’s surprised when he looks up and is met with blue eyes instead of gold. Katara sits next to him, hand still outstretched and a hurt expression on her face. No one else sits in the car, instead, they stand in the back, unpacking the trunk. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to. You just scared me.” </p><p> </p><p>Maybe it’s his voice, or maybe he looks as shooken up as he feels, but her expression immediately softens, “It’s okay, Don’t worry about it. Are you, though?”</p><p> </p><p>“Am I what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay?”</p><p> </p><p>He opens his mouth, ready to tell her that he was alright, but he pauses. She looks so open, blue eyes calming and kind, and he feels the lie die in his mouth.“I, I haven’t been back here in a while and it’s hard. A lot of memories of my dad, and you know?”</p><p> </p><p>She smiles at him, small and sad, and he can’t help but take in her beauty. The sun had just started setting, casting a red and yellow halo around her head. Her hair was in a messy braid, strands framing her face, the light making it look golden around the edges. She’s not in anything special, a pair of grey sweats and a blue tank top, but even sitting in the back of a dirty van, she looked like a goddess. “We’ll be here for you this entire time, I promise. And just know, he, he’s gone from your life, and you never have to see him again.”</p><p> </p><p>He nodded, the knot in his stomach not quite gone, but slowly disappearing. “Come on, let's go help the others unpack.” </p><p>
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</p><p>The first full day on Ember Island is spent inside, much to Katara’s chagrin. The arcade was officially open so Sokka, Aang, Suki, and Toph spent most of the day either waiting in line outside, playing the game, or waiting in line to play the game again. Katara and Zuko, on the other hand, wondered from game to game around the brand new arcade. Right now, Katara was kicking his ass, 8 to 4, and she couldn’t help but tease him. He would frown and groan, determined to win, and she would laugh and tease him, elbowing him and slinging an arm around his shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, when she won her 10th game, he had had enough, “UGH, this is the worst!” He yells, hands repeatedly connecting with the game console, right next to the joystick, he hung his head. She really couldn’t help it, a laugh fell from her mouth, not fast enough to stop it. <em>He just looks so</em> <em>cute</em>, his hair hanging in his face, face all scrunched up and serious, golden eyes glaring at the bright red <b><em>GAME OVER</em></b>. </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly he tensed, frustration melting into shock as he looked up at her. “Did you just call me-?” Maybe it’s the neon lights that flash around the darkroom, but she swears he’s blushing.</p><p> </p><p><em> Did I say that out loud?  </em>“No! I didn’t say anything!”</p><p> </p><p>“Sort of sounded like you called me <em> cute</em>,” Mirth fills his voice as he smiles at her knowingly. His head tilts toward her, with his dumb hair and his dumb eyes and his dumb jawline. </p><p> </p><p>Her face grows hot as he watches her, “Oh please, get your hearing checked! Come on, we are not spending all day inside! Let’s go get ice cream or something.” <em> Plus, if we’re outside, I can blame being red on the sun. </em> She grabs his hand and starts dragging him outside, relishing in the fact that as their hands intertwine, his face grows red as well. <em> There, now we’re even </em>.</p><p> </p><p>Later that night, Katara and Zuko make dinner together. She openly teases him about not letting him near a knife again, causing the rest of the gang to glance at each other, gazes filled with questions. They ate by a fire before Sokka suggested going night swimming, which Katara was never going to turn down. Clad in a blue bikini, she was the first one on the beach, immediately laying her towel down and running for the water. The water was slightly cold, but nothing major, as she floated around on her back, fingers gliding through the reflection of stars. Staring at the moon, she fell into peaceful bliss. Water was always her element, not only did she excel at sports involving it, but it just made her feel safe and calm, like it was where she was meant to be.</p><p> </p><p>“You went in without me?” Zuko’s voice interrupted her peace as she started to face the beach just in time to see him sprinting for the water. She feels her eyes wander downward, eyeing his chest, <em> oh</em>. Katara quickly averts her gaze, looking anywhere but him, <em> I suppose he wasn’t the Fire Nation’s star athlete for nothing</em>. She dips so only her eyes aren’t underwater.</p><p> </p><p>Zuko runs into the water and swims up to her as quickly as he can, but he clearly isn’t used to swimming, his movements slightly staccato and aggressive. “Holy shit, it’s cold!”</p><p> </p><p>He keeps <em> looking </em> at her, like she’s the only thing in the whole world worth looking at, and she feels butterflies stir in her stomach. <em> Stop it! </em> Quickly, she brings her arm up and sends a wave at him, “Get over it, you baby!”</p><p> </p><p>He yells, trying to avoid getting splashed, but ends up getting hit in the face anyway. Spitting out some water, he puts on the same face she saw at the arcade. Competitive, and determined. “Oh, it’s on.”</p><p> </p><p>He splashes her back, and she goes underwater immediately, before coming back up the second she was in the clear. Putting on an equally competitive face, she raises an eyebrow at him, “Oh, you don’t know who you’re messing with!”</p><p> </p><p>Zuko realizes about two seconds into their splashing war, that he had made a grave mistake. She was like a mermaid or something, moving through the water as if she was born in it, dodging any, frankly pathetic in comparison, attacking her throws her way before sending one back twice as hard. He felt himself being pushed closer to the shore, trying desperately to keep up with Katara, it was only when he hit a place where he could stand up that he realized he had an advantage.</p><p> </p><p>When it got to the point where the water was up to his waist, he stopped, digging his feet into the wet sand. He took the blunt to Katara’s attack, which was so accurate and forceful it almost hurt, and used the opportunity to grab her wrist. She immediately tried to splash him with the other hand, only to realize her mistake a second too late. Now, with a hand wrapped around each wrist, he pulled her into his chest. “Got ya’,” He whispers, and it’s only when she looks him in the eye does he realize <em> his </em>mistake.</p><p> </p><p>She is so <em> close</em>. She’s practically flush against his chest, with only her loosely held arms between them. Bathed in the moonlight, she looks ethereal, like she’s glowing. Her eyes almost reflect the water they stand in, a dark blue with light whites and grays swirling around in them. It reminds him of when they sat together on her roof, a moment of intimacy and truth beneath the moon. Her hair is splayed over one shoulder, wet and messy, but he still had to repress the urge to run his fingers through it. Not to mention she’s currently wearing a <em> bikini</em>, but in all honesty, he thinks those butterflies in his stomach act up more when he looks at her eyes or her lips.</p><p> </p><p>Her lips, they look so soft, so full, he wonders, not for the first time, what it would be like to lean down and capture those lips. To kiss her softly, and put his hands on her hips, to be that close, to be intimate. He’s not sure when he fell for her, but he definitely had, and at that moment, he’s not sure he wanted anything more in his life. “I guess you won,” Her voice is low and breathy, and it makes him want to steal her breath away. His eyes flick down to her lips and he sees her watch the movement before mirroring it. He leans down slowly and makes sure his hold on her wrists is light, barely-there anymore, so she could pull away if she wants to. But she doesn’t, she leans in too.</p><p> </p><p>Their foreheads touch, both staring into the other’s eyes, completely entranced in the other. They stand there for a second, connected for a moment, and then, “Can I kiss you?” The words fall from his mouth as easy as breathing, deep and husky.</p><p> </p><p>She opens her mouth, about to respond, when music comes pounding down the beach. She steps back, taking her wrists away easily, but she's not far. They both turn around, watching Sokka barrel down the beach, Suki on his back carrying a huge waterproof Bluetooth speaker. Toph and Aang run not far behind them, hand in hand, carrying huge floaties. While Zuko is busy watching his friends come towards them, Katara sweeps his leg, sending him tumbling to the seafloor. When he comes up again, he sees her running towards the teenagers, but she turns around in time to yell, “I guess <em> I </em> win, <em> again</em>,” and wink at him. <em> This girl is going to be the death of me, </em> he thinks before he flops back down into the water.</p><p>
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</p><p>The next day, they spend the day on the beach, but Zuko is the first one up, or so he thought. He takes his time grabbing his guitar and notebook before going to the back porch, hoping to get some practice while watching the sun finish rising. He’s only been out for ten minutes, if that, before he hears laughs drift up from the beach. He watches Suki and Sokka wander lazily up the path back to their house, clad in athletic clothes, bo staffs and fans in hand. Quick to hide his guitar behind the bench, he pretends to be busy in his notebook.</p><p> </p><p>“Morning Zuko! I figured no one else would be up yet,” Suki exclaims as she and Sokka stop in front of him. He watches as she lazily taps the end of the staff to the deck, making patterns on the wood.</p><p> </p><p>“Yea, me too. What were you guys doing anyway?”</p><p> </p><p>Sokka beams, sweat glistening in the early sun, swinging his staff so it’s resting on his shoulder, “Me and Suki do this most mornings we get together. Getting up before sunrise is a bitch, but it’s worth it.”</p><p> </p><p>“We normally do some meditation, and some bo staff routine and workouts, and, if we have time, a couple rounds of sparring-”</p><p> </p><p>“She totally kicked my ass, dude,” Sokka whispers behind his hand, causing Suki to blush and lightly smack him with her bo staff.</p><p> </p><p>“More recently, I’ve been teaching him Kyoshi’s famous fan techniques,” Suki continued, pulling out the fan from her waistband. Zuko always knew Suki was good at martial arts, but he didn’t know she had such a passion for it. The way she smiled, proud of her accomplishments, but also didn’t like being praised by Sokka. If he had to say anything, it was that she looked like she was in her element, and based on the way Sokka stared at her, all dough eyed with a fond smile, he was thinking the same thing. “What about you?”</p><p> </p><p>His foot instinctively moved to cover the guitar more, holding up his notebook so it kept their attention, “Just writing. I like to write when I first wake up, watch the sunrise as I work,” He laughed to himself, remembering how he scared Uncle when he stayed over. “My uncle likes to say I rise with the sun, though I think he hates it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh, you guys are too loud for 7 AM!” Katara grumbles, wandering out in her pajamas, one of Sokka’s fencing tourney shirts, and a pair of short shorts. She yawns and rubs her eyes before plopping down next to Zuko on the bench. He can’t help but smile at her, rocking a full bed head as she tries not to fall back asleep on his shoulder. <em> Cute</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Sokka’s laugh interrupts his thoughts, ruffling her already messy hair as he goes inside, “Katara, on the other hand, stays up to all hours of the night and sleeps in. You’re such a slob, Sis!” </p><p> </p><p>“It’s too early to think of a retort,” She mumbles before her head hits his shoulder, already dozing off again. <em> Oh. </em> It hits Zuko, in that moment, that Katara was Sokka’s <em> sister</em>. He officially had a best friend for the first time in his life, and he fell for his sister. <em> I am the biggest idiot on the planet</em>. What was he even supposed to do? Even if she likes him back, he knows Sokka is totally overprotective, Katara complained to him about it all the time. It was a recipe for disaster, no matter what he did, he lost one of them, or worst-case scenario, <em> both</em>. He couldn’t risk that, no, not even for her. He glances down at her, eyes slowly blinking, trying to stay awake as she leans in him.</p><p> </p><p>He closes his book and sets it beside him. His hands now free, he gently brushes hair away from her eyes, “Katara, wake up.” He’s never heard his voice this soft. Her eyes snap open and her posture grows stiff before she slumps again, swaying with sleep before Zuko puts a hand on her shoulder, “Come on, I’ll make you breakfast.”</p><p> </p><p>Zuko makes everyone breakfast, and Aang and Toph wander down not long after. They stare at their phones for most of the meal, ideally talking amongst themselves before Katara gasps, showing her phone to the group, “Aang, it's windy today, perfect surfing weather!” Aang shares her excitement, both throwing their dishes in the dishwasher before running upstairs. The rest of the gang wanders upstairs to grab their stuff, and Zuko volunteers to make everyone drinks. </p><p> </p><p>By the time he wandered out, a tray of drinks in one hand and a book and towel in the other, everyone else was already doing their thing. Toph had started the base of what looked to be the biggest sandcastle he’d ever seen, and Suki sat, posing for Sokka as he drew her. He went around handing everyone their drinks before pausing, hand still outstretched to Sokka, “Where are Aang and Katara?”</p><p> </p><p>Not looking up from his sketch, he pointed to the open ocean. He stands there for a second, staring at nothing. He’s about to ask Suki, but then he sees her, and he almost drops the tray he’s holding. He watches her surf from a distance, so entranced by her movements that he barely notices Aang on his windsurfer. If he thought she was elegant and fluid in the water before, she was a goddess now, practically one with the ocean, all her expert movements coordinated as she flips through the water. He couldn’t bring himself to stop staring at her, his breath caught in his throat. <em> Who gave her the right to look that </em> <b> <em>hot</em></b>.</p><p> </p><p>He still hasn’t moved as he watches her paddle in, his mouth hanging open as she emerges from the water, and he thinks that, right here, is the most beautiful she’s ever been. She has the biggest smile on her face, ocean eyes wide and exhilarated. Her hair sits in a lose pony, causing drips of water to fall down her waist. Water misting her face, the sun catching the droplets, making her look like she is the embodiment of a beautiful summer day. If Zuko wrote a song about this, he would say that she was the sun, beautiful and alluring, providing warmth and light to everyone around her. <em> Woah.</em></p><p> </p><p>“Is that for me?”</p><p> </p><p>His brain hadn’t quite caught up yet, to be transfixed by her and her movements, the only thing he could really say is “Uhh!”</p><p> </p><p>She smiled at him, that smile that reminded him of the stars and the moon, bright and comforting, leading him safely from the darkness, took a glass off the tray and walked away to get a towel with a small “Thank you, Zuko.” And he melted.</p><p>
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</p><p>That night, after dinner, they make a campfire and roast marshmallows, and Sokka breaks out the beer. At around midnight, everyone feeling slightly tipsy from the beer, plus the bad boxed wine they had with their meal, they grow bored of telling stories and Toph suggests truth or dare. The game goes as well as you think it would. Zuko, after being asked his worst date, described the painfully awkward first date with Mai which involved either no talking or too much talking about knives. Suki had to let everyone draw one thing on her face. Sokka had to suffer through retelling the time Gran Gran walked in on Suki and him having sex, much to Katara’s distress. Toph had to grab two things out of the fridge and eat them, which ended up being the disgusting mix of anchovies and chocolate sauce, which she did without hesitation. Aang, finally, was dared to do five cartwheels in a row, which almost ended with him jumping into the fire.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay...Katara! Truth or Dare?” Aang asked from across the fire pit. The group sat in a perfect circle, going Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Toph. Throughout the game, seats had been switched and the order had changed, but they ended here.</p><p> </p><p>“Truth.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you have a crush on anyone?” Katara felt her stomach drop at the question. The way Aang was smiling at her, the tone he used, the hopeful look in his eyes. <em> He wants me to pick him</em>. She had known for a while that Aang liked her, it was obvious, and she felt terrible because she didn’t feel the same. She loved him, but like a brother, not like <em> that. </em>Part of her wanted to say yes, just because she couldn’t bear losing her best friend, but stringing him along would do neither of them any good.</p><p> </p><p>Her stomach continues to drop and her anxiety rises as she looks to Aang's right, where Zuko sits, staring at her between the flickering flame. <em> I do have a crush on someone</em>. But she couldn’t <em> say </em> that. Not in front of everyone, not in front of <em> Sokka</em>. And he wasn’t helping her case either, just sitting there, staring at her with these intense, smoldering gold eyes. And he just looks so cute, sunburn from the day covering his face, making the skin all red, almost matching his scar, but not quite. The firelight illuminates him, oranges flickering around him, making him look extra beautiful. So what do you do when your best friend, who has a crush on you, asks you if you have a crush on anyone right next to your actual crush, who just happens to be your brother's best friend? You lie through your goddamn teeth.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t, not right now.” She and Zuko never break eye contact, and the words physically hurt her to say. She shouldn’t be lying to her friends, it feels <em> wrong</em>, but what is she supposed to do? If she came out and said she liked Zuko, she could lose him, Aang, and her brother all in one fell swoop. No, she can’t risk it, not even for him. She would have to just swallow her feelings. They are sure to go away eventually, she just has to ride them out, and not indulge herself, not like she had been doing recently. She would have to stop looking into things and convincing herself of things. He didn’t look sad when she said that. He doesn’t smile at her differently. She doesn’t catch him staring from across the room, and they wouldn’t sit there, eyes locked and unwavering, fire against water flowing in tandem. No thoughts of him would plague her in the late nights she had alone. She won’t yearn and crave and want. One day.</p><p> </p><p>In the corner of her eye, she sees Aang slouch a little, and she can feel the energy being sucked from the room. The game doesn’t last much longer after that, a tension setting into the air, too hazy to see through. That night, for whatever reason, the girls had decided to sleep in the master bedroom that night, Toph, Suki, and Katara all sitting on the floor, some cheesy rom-com playing in the background as they apply facemasks and eat through their candy supply. She needed this, she thinks to herself, chugging the white wine that tastes like juice. Something like this.</p><p> </p><p>The night settles down not long after they finish painting each other's nails, all crawling into the king-size bed and cuddling as the movie finishes. Toph passes out immediately, soaring through the big kiss that Suki and Katara stay up for. But then the movie ends, and they switch to some late-night channel that plays reruns of <em> Friends</em>, but neither is really paying attention, Katara is too focused on the weight in her chest that stayed long after truth or dare ended. Maybe it was the three extra glasses she had during the movie, but she felt the need to say something rise and rise until.</p><p> </p><p>“I lied during truth or dare,” She says to the ceiling as she lies on her back, not daring to look Suki in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh?” She can practically hear Suki’s smile as she rolls over so she’s facing her.</p><p> </p><p>“I do like someone, someone in the group.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is it Aang? I mean I know you guys have always been best friends-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Zuko.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s silence, only filled with the overused and fake-sounding laugh track that streams from the TV, until, “Damn it, I owe Toph five bucks now.”</p><p> </p><p>“You <em> knew</em>?” She whisper-yells, finally turning on her side so she was facing the brunet.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t know, well, I kinda knew, but I had my money on someone else, but Toph definitely knew. I swear, that girl always knows something that the rest of us don’t, always one step ahead!”</p><p> </p><p>A snort escapes her as she looks at the shorter girl, still snoring loudly, “Yeah, you’re right.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s silence again, another laugh track, and then “So...Zuko”</p><p> </p><p>“Yea, Zuko,” She knows she sounds like a lovestruck idiot as she talks, but while hidden in the darkness and with wine on her breath, she doesn’t really care. “I think it started around the ice cream parlor, we had this <em> moment </em> when no one else was looking. It was ruined by Azula, but since I can’t seem to stop thinking about him. And we keep having these <em> things </em> where we are alone and it so silent and we almost kiss, but it just never seems to happen-”</p><p> </p><p>“Hold up, you and Zuko almost <em> kissed</em>? When?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well once when he was living with us, he cut his hand and I bandaged him up. The other was two days ago, when we went night swimming.”</p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit, you have to kiss him! Like next time you’re alone, you have to!”</p><p> </p><p>“Suki, Zuko is in the group now, and he’s Sokka’s <em> best friend</em>-”</p><p> </p><p>“And? Sokka is dating your best friend.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s <em> different</em>-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s really not.”</p><p> </p><p>“So what happens if I do kiss him? <em> Maybe </em>he likes me, and what happens then? Sokka gets pissed at me, or he gets pissed at Zuko, you know how protective he is. And Aang obviously likes me, so do I lose him too? And what if we break up? It could tear apart the group and Zuko’s never really had something like this before. I couldn’t do that to him, not for my own dumb feelings.”</p><p> </p><p>Suki stares at her through the darkness, green eyes intense, “Okay, one, your feelings aren’t <em> dumb</em>. But I know you, and I know how stubborn you are, but just consider telling him. Do something for yourself for once.” She doesn’t know what to say to that, so she says nothing. Suki smiles at her once again, and pokes her stomach, “Go to bed, loser, it’s getting late.”</p><p> </p><p>“Goodnight.”</p><p> </p><p>“Night!”</p><p>
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</p><p>Katara wakes up at three AM in a cold sweat, <em> Friends </em> still playing on the TV, Suki and Toph still fast asleep beside her. <em> It’s okay, everyone’s fine, you’re safe. </em>She sighs, stretching her legs before getting out of bed, heading toward the kitchen to grab a glass of water. The wood is cold beneath her feet as she squints through the darkness. She’s halfway there, walking through the outdoor area when she stops, a voice coming from the fountain. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Why do you, keep reaching for my hand? Do you see something I can’t? Why do you try to save me?”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>As she slowly moves toward the center of the courtyard, she sees him. Zuko, bathed in moonlight, sitting on the lip of the fountain, hunched over a guitar. She gets a sudden flashback to the night before his exam, but this is different. He looks almost confident as he sings to no one, words raw with emotion. <em> I didn’t know he could sing like that</em>. His voice is beautiful, low and rough while still being pleasing, she feels like she could listen to him all day.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “This fate is well deserved, I only make things worse. Why do you try to save me?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She watches his hands move, effortlessly moving across the strings. Fingers moving as if he was made to do this, like he had done it a million times. One hand moves up and down the neck of the guitar, fluid and precise, not a note out of place. The other hand moves up and down across the strings, the impact creating vibrations that she can feel through the air.  She feels like she’s in a trance, like he put a spell on her, as if she couldn’t do anything but watch him, to look at his face, to hear his voice, to watch his hands. She’s never seen him so at peace, so in his element. She doesn’t think she’s heard this song before but based on the way he sings it, and how familiar the cords sound, she’s sure he wrote it. She remembers once, she bugged him while he was writing in a notebook, and he closed it quickly, already flustered at the thought of getting caught. She remembers seeing glimpses of poetry written across the pages.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Have I served my sentence? Learned my lesson? Healed those wounds from my indiscretions?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> He looks so handsome</em>, she thinks as she creeps closer. From this angle, she can only see his scar side, but that’s not a bad thing. He sits in nothing but pajama pants, hair tousled with sleep, or lack thereof, sticking in every direction. The moonlight makes it look like he’s glowing like he’s some god, magnificent and untouchable. He has something gold hanging around his neck, something she’s never seen before. It looks like a pendant of a bird.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I don't know. Am I still so selfish? Exile ended. What do you see in my-” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She curses, footsteps louder than intended, as he stops and whips around to see her, surprise and fear painted across his face. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything!”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, you just scared me. I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be up right now,” He relaxes when he sees it’s her, arms resting on top of the guitar in his lap.</p><p> </p><p>“Neither was I,” She mutters, sitting down on the fountain edge next to him, her knee brushing his, his shoulder pressed against hers.</p><p> </p><p>“So why are you?”</p><p> </p><p><em> Don’t come out until mommy tells you, okay? </em> “Toph is snoring. Why are <em> you</em>?” She asks, careful not to look into his golden eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, I couldn’t sleep I guess,” He’s not looking at her either, fingers tracing the dragon that is painted on the side of the wooden instrument. <em> We’re both lying</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t know you played, or sang.”</p><p> </p><p>He smiles to himself, almost sadly. His eyes aren’t looking at the guitar now, but her hands where they sit in her lap, “No one really knows, except Azula, Iroh, and Lu Ten. He’s the one that taught me.”</p><p> </p><p>She racks her brain, the name ringing a bell, but she wasn’t quite sure why. “Lu Ten?”</p><p> </p><p>“He’s my cousin, Iroh’s son. He’s at college in China right now, so we like, never see him. He’s like an older brother to me though. When I expressed an interest as a kid, he taught me how to play. This is actually his guitar, he gave it to me for my fourteenth birthday.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Oh no</em>. “So when Iroh was in China…?”</p><p> </p><p>He laughs, eyes finally finding Katara’s face, amused by the absolute horror it portrays, “Yes, he was visiting him.”</p><p> </p><p>“God!” She mumbles, burying her head in her hands, “I feel like a terrible person.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you didn’t know!” He tries to comfort her, hand on her shoulder, but it’s hard to take seriously based on how hard he’s laughing.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey! Don’t laugh at me, if you had just told me why Iroh was there, I wouldn’t have pushed so hard!” She yells, head whipping up from her hands. She’s about to yell more, when she stops, taking him in. He’s smiling and laughing, no walls around him, and she feels his presence like a flame in her chest. <em> He has a pretty smile</em>. They’re close, probably a little too close, and his hand hasn’t left her shoulder</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine, I’m glad you made me call him,” He’s so genuine it makes her heartache. It makes her long for more moments like these. It makes her want to put her arms around him and hold him. It makes her want to tilt her head up and kiss him. It makes her <em> want</em>. </p><p> </p><p>She leans away. “So, you wrote that song?”</p><p> </p><p>He blinks and then slides away from her a little. She misses his warmth. “Yea, I did.”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess I know less about you than I thought.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s recent, and besides, I keep it from people anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why? You’re incredibly talented,” She looks him dead in the eye when she says it, so he knows she’s being honest.</p><p> </p><p>A blush spreads across his face and he looks away, “T-thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“So are you okay with me?”</p><p> </p><p>“With you what?” </p><p> </p><p>“With me knowing?”</p><p> </p><p>He stops for a second, then looks at her, golden eyes every bit as sincere as she is, “Yes.” </p><p> </p><p>Now it’s her turn to blush and look away, but it doesn’t feel like enough. This moment, quiet talking under the stars, feels like it’s too much. That it will only take one more genuine moment of honesty and vulnerability from him and she’ll cave and kiss him on the spot. “I think I’m going to go back to bed, it’s getting late.” She says getting up, walking back towards her room.</p><p> </p><p>He glances down at his phone, which reads three-thirty AM, “Yea, I guess it is. Good night, Katara!”</p><p> </p><p>“Good night, Zuko!” She yells behind her. She’s about to reenter the house when she stops and turns around. “And Zuko, just for the record, I think you’re worth saving.”</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Fireworks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>On their last days at Ember Island, the gang sees a person from their past, Suki plays wingman, Katara and Zuko share a moment and things get explosive</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko wakes up to the sound of laughter and the smell of bacon. His eyes drifting open and shut, he looks at the guitar that sits next to the bed, smiling at the memory of last night. <em> I think you’re worth saving</em>. He wanders out to the kitchen, smiling as he watches Katara grilling bacon and eggs, everyone sitting around the counter, laughing at something Toph said. He got yelled at for being the last one up, which he takes happily as Katara sets a plate of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns in front of him. They all sit around the table planning their day and joking around.</p><p> </p><p>They decide on having another day at the beach, but this time, going to the public beach. The beach is overflowing, people of all ages lounging around. They find a free area to lay down their towels and are all planning on laying around for a bit, but that doesn’t last long. “Hey, Toph,” Aang starts, tapping the shorter girl on the shoulder, “They’re having a sandcastle contest over there, I think there's a cash prize.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, <em> hell </em>yes! Twinkle Toes, you’re helping me win!” She yells, jumping up, grabbing her mesh bag, and dragging Aang in the opposite direction of the contest.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, Toph, we’re going the wrong way…” Aang remarks as he redirects her. She doesn’t even skip a beat, grabbing his wrist and dragging him toward the contest.</p><p> </p><p>Sokka grabs Suki’s hand and gets on one knee, Katara and Zuko snickering at his antics from where they lounge on their beach towels, “Suki, my love, would you do me the honor...of going and kicking those kids’ asses at chicken with me?” He asked, gesturing to where kids their age were sitting on each other’s shoulders, thigh-deep in the surf.</p><p> </p><p>Suki just laughs, hauling him up from the sand, “They won’t know what hit ‘em! Come on, I’ll race ya’.”</p><p> </p><p>And they’re off. It takes a second before Zuko realizes it’s just him and Katara sitting side by side on the beach. She glances at him and smiles a little awkwardly at him before her eyes go up. “You like cloud watching?”</p><p> </p><p>He immediately wants to say no, but he stops himself, watching her lie down on her towel. Her hair is fanned out in the sand, eyes trained on the sky. She has a baggy button-up tee-shirt over her swimsuit, which looks weirdly familiar, but otherwise, her skin is glowing underneath the sun, bronze and beautiful. “I don’t know, I’ve never done it before.”</p><p> </p><p>She smiles up at him and pats the sand next to her, which he takes as a cue to lie down. He stares at the shapeless blobs as they float across the pristine blue sky, shoulder to shoulder with her. “See, right there, it’s an image of two warriors battling!”</p><p> </p><p>He sees nothing like that, just white fluffs of nothingness, “Where?”</p><p> </p><p>He hears her huff beside him, before her hand wraps around his wrist, and points his arm at the sky, “See, that’s the swords crossing, and that’s the warrior…”</p><p> </p><p>He should be listening, he knows he should, but he’s a little transfixed by her. Her skin is soft and cool in the burning heat. She smells like saltwater and lilies, and he can’t take his eyes off the shirt she’s wearing. It’s bright red, contrasting the light blue of her bikini, a bit big on her, but not that big. He stares at the shirtsleeve as it hangs in the air between them, something clicking in his brain. Looking over, he studies the shirt closely, looking at the logo that sits on the pocket. <em> That’s mine. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Is that...my shirt?”</p><p> </p><p>Katara stops, still holding Zuko’s hand in the air, and looks down. Her face suddenly gets as red as the shirt, “I didn’t, I asked Sokka for a shirt to put over my swimsuit, I promise, I didn’t know! Here you can have it back!” Flustered, she lets go of his arm, and oh how he misses the contact, and goes to take off the stolen shirt.</p><p> </p><p>He reaches up, stopping her as she unbuttons the one button that sat at her waist, “No, you can keep it. It looks good on you.” If anyone saw how red his face was, he could always blame it on the sunburn.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh,” She turns over so that she can look him in the eye, her smile blinding, “Thanks! I guess I should steal your clothes more often.” </p><p> </p><p>He opens his mouth, not quite sure what he was going to say, when a volleyball lands next to them, sending sand flying everywhere. “Shit, sorry!” Someone yells before running up to them.</p><p> </p><p><em> Holy shit is that </em>“Jet?” Zuko and Katara both sit up, shocked by the boy in front of them, as well as the fact that they weren’t the only one who said his name.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Katara, Zuko, I didn’t know you two knew each other!” Jet hasn’t changed much in the three years since Zuko had seen him, watching him as he sheepishly smiled at the two.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll give you five seconds to take your ball and get the hell away from me, or I will make you sorry you ever came up to us.” Katara’s voice is ice-cold as she glares at him. It reminds him of that day in the van, the first time they fully spoke, but worse. And with the way her fists clench, he doesn’t doubt that she’s willing to keep her promise.</p><p> </p><p>“You know Jet?” Zuko asks, and he almost regrets opening his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I <em> know </em>Jet.”</p><p> </p><p>“Listen, Katara, we were just kids, you know? I’ve changed! And it was all a silly rumor, no harm, no foul, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Just some silly rumor? <em> No harm, no foul</em>?” She yells, getting up and pushing his chest, <em>hard. </em> He watches as Jet stumbles back, falling on his ass and Zuko quickly gets up, ready to back Katara, if she needs it. He already knows he can beat Jet in a fight, and he’s willing to do it again. “You <em> Dick</em>! How could you say that? I got tormented for a <em> year </em> because of you! And <em> you can’t even bother to say </em> <b> <em>sorry</em></b>?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Listen, Katara-” He says, slowly and carefully getting up. He’s talking to her like she’s a some dumb girl, like he’s better then her. <em>B</em><em>ad idea dude</em>, Zuko thinks to himself, anger pooling in the pit of his stomach.</p><p> </p><p>“No, <em> you </em> listen! I want you out of my slight, you asshole. I don’t wanna hear any half baked apology, or shitty reasoning, or batshit excuse. Just leave me alone and <em> pray </em>you never see me again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Would you shut up and fucking <em>listen</em>-”</p><p> </p><p>“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY LITTLE SISTER!” Suddenly, Sokka comes screaming down the beach, a look Zuko’s never quite seen before painted on his face. One of pure rage and hate. He honestly wasn’t aware that Sokka was capable of such anger, such force, but when it involves Katara, he shouldn’t be surprised. He tackles Jet, sending both tumbling to the ground. Suki isn’t far behind, face just as angry as Sokka’s. <em> What did he do to Katara? </em></p><p> </p><p>Zuko watches as the two roll in the sand, fighting as curses fly through the air. Katara and Suki talk quietly, careful to make sure he doesn’t hear, and he feels dangerously out of the loop. It's only when the lifeguard's sharp whistle cuts through the air does he finally steps in. Pulling the two up, he holds Sokka back and pushes Jet backwards. “Dude, we don’t want to get kicked off of the beach.” </p><p> </p><p>“Zuko, you don’t know what this scumbag did!” Sokka defends, still fighting his friend’s grasp.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s not worth ruining our day over. Come on, I promise, beating him isn’t as satisfying as it looks,” Sokka raised an eyebrow at Zuko, and stopped struggling. “Go talk to Katara, I’ll deal with him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Promise me you’ll kill him if he says anything about her?” He pleads, still glaring at Jet as he stands there ready for a fight.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to ask me twice,” he whispers back before he walks up to Jet again. The two stand there, sizing each other up. Jet’s hands are still up, ready for a fight, but Zuko’s are crossed, he knows if he tries anything, Zuko will win, again. “Get out of here, Jet. Based on what they said, you deserve what you got, at least walk away with some dignity.”</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko, about what happened at Iroh’s shop-”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t care about that anymore, but if wherever you did to Katara was bad enough for all that, you're lucky you’re leaving here in one peace. Don’t make me break your jaw, <em> again.</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko, look, I’m sorry-”</p><p> </p><p>Looking back at Katara and his other friends, he sees their anger still lit behind their eyes as they whisper to each other. Katara's words ring in his ears, <em>I got tormented for a </em> <b> <em>year</em> </b> <em> because of you</em>. Anger roars louder in his stomach, rushing to his hands, itching to do something about it. Thinking of him hurting Katara made Zuko want to hurt <em> him</em>. “I said, <em> leave</em>.” </p><p> </p><p>Maybe it was the look Zuko gave him, maybe it was the fact that none of them were listening to him, but Jet finally takes a hint. He gets his ball and backs up before running towards the volleyball nets. When Zuko finally turns around, Katara and Suki are nowhere to be seen as Sokka settles down on Katara’s towel, sketching something in his workbook. “Where did they go?” He huffs, flopping back down on his towel.</p><p> </p><p>“Went to the water to get their mind off that asshole,” Sokka explains half-heartedly, pencil continuously moving, working on some contraption Zuko wouldn’t even hope to understand. Zuko stares blankly at the sky, watching clouds drift by, <em> Cloud watching is a lot less fun without you. </em></p><p>
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</p><p>Katara and Zuko sat in the stands of the sandcastle contest, watching Toph and Aang put the finishing touches on their work. The silence was thick between them as they barely paid attention to the competition, it was obvious Toph won. Toph built an entire city of sand, with a river that ran through the 5-foot tall buildings. Suki and Sokka had just left to go wait in line for the best sushi in town, Kwong's Cuisine, leaving the two of them alone for the first time since the whole Jet incident.</p><p> </p><p>“So...you know Jet?” Katara starts, not quite able to look him in the eye.</p><p> </p><p>“And you do too?”</p><p> </p><p>“I distinctly remember overhearing you mention breaking his jaw, not that I’m opposed to it, but I would like to know the story there.”</p><p> </p><p>“And I distinctly remember overhearing that he spread some rumor about you,” He turns to look at her, and she catches him with a teasing smirk and a raised eyebrow. She turns away again, feeling a little overwhelmed at the prospect of telling him. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” She’s not sure if she wants him to take the deal or not. </p><p> </p><p>There’s a moment of silence, only filled with the sound of the crashing waves and wind flowing through flags before, before his voice fills the space. He turns to look at her, straddling the metal bench so he had a leg on each side, “If those are your conditions, I’ll bite. It all started at the beginning of Sophomore year. Jet was just a freshman and he came into <em> The Jasmine Dragon </em> all the time, and I was also spending a lot of time there, avoiding my dad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Being the only two guys around the same age, we started hanging out. He was the first friend I made that wasn’t because of the whole ‘fire prince’ thing. It didn’t take long for me to consider him my best friend, we even started hanging out outside of the tea shop! And then, one day, he stopped coming entirely. I would text him and see if he wanted to hang out, but I would just get left on read. He didn’t show up for two weeks until, randomly, he burst in, yelling about how my dad ruined his family. I honestly had zero clue what he was talking about, but then he swung at me, and I couldn’t control my anger.”</p><p> </p><p>“There was a full out brawl in the middle of the shop. We both got some good punches in, but I won. He ended up with his jaw wired shut, but I got my ass chewed out by Iroh, so I’m not sure who had it worse. We never talked again, he never came by <em> The Jasmine Dragon </em>again. I lost the only genuine friend I had ever made, and he tried to kill me because of something my dad did.” </p><p> </p><p>Before she could second guess herself, she mirrored his position and grabbed his hands, holding them on the cold metal on the bench. She remembered doing this the night he showed up at her door when his dad kicked him out, how he grabbed her hand, how she held his back, “Well, he’s not anymore, you have us now.” </p><p> </p><p>He smiles down at their intertwined hands, golden eyes softening, “Yeah, I do.” A silence settles between them again, but it’s not like before, it’s comfortable, safe. “So, since we’re sharing Jet trauma, what did he do to you?”</p><p> </p><p>Katara hesitates, not sure if she wants to tell him, but then she looks at him, open and smiling, and she feels ready. She sighs and starts her story, “It was eighth grade, and Jet was the new kid, and I’ll be honest, I had a little crush on him. He was nice and charming and passionate, so I befriended him. When I proposed that we let him in the group, me and Sokka got in this big fight because he didn’t trust him, and as a compromise, we created the Executive Decision. I know Sokka explained everything to you, so I don’t need to go into too much detail, but when I asked Aang if he would back me, he said no.”</p><p> </p><p>“I just, I really wanted him to join our little group, and I got really angry. The day we created the ED, I used mine on Jet. He hung out with us for weeks, and Aang started liking him as well, but Sokka never trusted him, I should have listened to him. After a few months, I confessed to him, and he kissed me. I was all happy that weekend after that, thinking that he would be my boyfriend or whatever, but when I got to school on Monday, he wouldn’t talk to me and everyone kept whispering behind my back.”</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t until last period that I figured out what was going on. Meng was sitting behind me and Aang in social studies, and she leaned over and whispered to him ‘Be careful with her, she might try to force herself on you like she did Jet.’ As it turns out, while Jet was becoming friends with us, he was also becoming friends with the popular group of Jocks, and after our little...interaction, he told them that <em> I </em> kissed <em> him</em>, not the other way around. He also told them that I <em> forced </em> myself on him, and I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I tried to confront him at the end of the day, but the second I came up to him, his friends started yelling at me, telling me that I had ‘already taken advantage of him enough.’ And Jet just stood there, saying <em> nothing</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“It only got worse after that. The rumor kept spiralling becoming worse and worse, until the the student body decided to settle on the story that I was seducing Jet so that I could sacrifice him in a Water Tribe ritual. Which is completely wrong and racist and<em> not true</em>, but no one would listen to me. I tried to get Jet to talk to me but his new group was always there. I begged Aang not to tell Sokka, he was just a freshman in high school, he had his own stuff to worry about, but he found out somehow. After school one day, the second he stepped foot off campus, Sokka started a fight with him. I’ll admit, it was funny watching Jet’s teeth get kicked in, but it didn’t help the situation. Jet came to school with a black eye and a split lip, and he wasn’t being idle with the bullying anymore. He added the word ‘Savage’ to his vocabulary and if he ever saw me, he made it his mission to make me miserable.”</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t have any friends except Aang, no one wanted to talk to me. I got in a fight with one girl who said some really bad stuff, even dragged my dad and my brother into it. I won, but I also got suspended for a week. I had to deal with all the bullshit until the end of eighth grade, luckily it didn’t follow me to Ba Sing Se. By the time I got there, no one knew about Jet, and the people who didn’t seem to care anymore, I got replaced by some girl who ran away with her boyfriend over the summer, and that was the end of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Katara couldn’t quite explain the feeling that stirred in her stomach, one of both relief and fear as she listened to the silence that settled between them. She drags her eyes away from the people building sandcastles to study his face. As she looks at him, she finds that he was staring at her, mouth set in a hard line, eyes burning like wildfires. She feels her heart doing flips, “What?”<br/><br/></p><p>His eyes intense and his voice low, he says “I regret letting him off so easy, I should have beat his ass for what he did to you.”</p><p> </p><p>Maybe the setting sun, but her face still felt hot, “You didn’t have to do that, plus, I can take care of myself.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, I wanted to though.”</p><p> </p><p>Then there's that silence again and she became acutely aware how close they are, before “Flamio motherfuckers!” They turn around after Aang yells, the two youngest of the group running at them, Trophy and envelope in hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Let's go!” Toph yells running straight past them, “I’m paying for dinner!” </p><p> </p><p>“Hey! Wait up!” Zuko yells, grabbing Katara’s hand and running after them, and Katara just knows she has the dumbest smile on her face.</p><p>
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</p><p>Katara was ready to throttle Suki. After they got back from getting sushi, Suki immediately made a bunch of drinks for everyone made of shitty vodka and juice. The second the bottle was empty, she proposed we play spin the bottle while smiling at her knowingly. Aang enthusiastically agreed, and everyone else seemed to think it would be fun too. She can’t help but look at Zuko from across the circle, who is currently looking anywhere but her. <em> Oh. </em></p><p> </p><p>Suki spins first, and it lands on Sokka. They both joke about how <em>terrible </em> it is to kiss the other before turning and kissing her boyfriend. Katara throws a cookie at them to get them to separate. Sokka spins next and it lands on Toph, and they’re both really awkward about it first, then Toph just grumbles something, and grabs his collar. The kiss is brief, and forceful, ending with Toph blushing and immediately spinning the bottle as she goes to sit back down. It lands on Katara, who responds by cooing at her while squishing her cheeks.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re the worst,” Toph grumbles as Katara kisses her on the corner of her mouth, as an older sister would. Toph sits with her arms crossed, the ghost of a smile on her face. Katara is still beaming when she spins the bottle, only realizing what's happening when the bottle starts slowing down. She’s not sure where she wants it to stop, mind running through possibilities as she glances at him. His eyes are trained on the bottle as if willing it to do <em> something</em>, but she’s not sure if he wants it to land on her or not. Based on how the bottle is slowing, it's going to land on Sokka, and she feels both relieved and disappointed. The feeling doesn’t last long.</p><p> </p><p>It lands on Zuko, who sits to the right of her older brother. She feels her body stiffen and her heart start racing. He just keeps looking at the bottle. <em> Look at me, please just look at me</em>. He doesn’t. Swallowing, Katara climbs across the stone ground of the courtyard. She feels her breath catch as she stops in front of him, his eyes <em> finally </em>meeting hers, and now suddenly she wishes they hadn’t. His eyes are intense, and unwavering, and vibrant, but most importantly, the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. She reaches up, hand slowly rising to his face, fingertips brushing the edges of his scar. She prays that he can’t feel how her hand shakes. She almost doesn’t want to close her eyes, afraid he will disappear or pull away if she does. He closes his eyes first, but he doesn’t lean in. She rushes forward.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She wasn’t sure what she thought kissing Zuko would be like, not that she had thought about it before, but it was everything she had hoped for. His lips were soft against her own, quick but cautious. His hand cups her face softly, cradling it like she’s the most valuable thing he’s ever known. He tasted like homemade cookies, and <em> warmth</em>. He’s soft and sweet, and kind of feels like home. She wants to get lost in him, she wants to lean into him, she wants to never leave his arms. She wants to feel his hair under her fingertips. She wants to explore him, to know him, to be with him. She pulls away.</p><p> </p><p>She feels warm and fuzzy as she crawls back, the feeling of his lips on hers lingering. Her eyes are wide and her heart is going fast, so fast it feels like it just might jump out of her chest. She feels warm, like he lit a fire in her heart and it’s slowly spreading. She watches his face, and she’s sure hers is the same. Wide-eyed, surprised, <em> wanting</em>. His lips are slightly upturned as he reaches up, fingers lightly brushing his now red lips. <em> Oh. </em></p><p>
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</p><p>Zuko wakes up, a scream tearing through his throat, his hand clutching the left side of his face. <em> It was just a dream, you’ll be okay. It was just a dream, just a dream</em>. He walks to the bathroom to splash some water on his face, only to stop before he gets there, right in front of the window. There is the silhouette of a girl sitting on the private beach. He immediately grabs a shirt that sits on a chair beside his bed and runs out. The closer he gets, the more he can see who it is.</p><p> </p><p>“Katara?” He asks the second his feet touch the sand. She turns her head, her legs pulled up to her chest and he feels his breath catch. <em> Her hand is soft on his face, tenderly holding him. Her lips are soft yet forceful as if it took a lot of bravery to do this. She tastes like saltwater taffy, the kind he had bought for her at the beach that day. He wants- </em> He snaps out of his flashback that second he sees her eyes, red and watery. “Have you been crying?”</p><p> </p><p>She quickly turns away, staring at the moon and wiping her eyes, “No.” Her voice cracks as she speaks, quiet and broken. </p><p> </p><p>He sits next to her, hand set over hers in the sand, “It’s okay, you don’t have to hide it.” There’s silence for a bit, not awkward like at the beach, and not filled with tension like after their kiss, just peaceful. A mutual understanding. “What’s the nightmare?” He asks.</p><p> </p><p>“How did you-?”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s why I am out here. It’s why I was out here last night too.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Me too.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s that silence again, as he rubs his thumb against her hand, hoping the movement brought the same comfort it once gave him. That <em> she </em>had once given him. She speaks up over the crashing waves, barely a whisper, “It’s about the night I lost my mother.”</p><p> </p><p>He nods slowly, not daring to look at her. He thinks he might break if he sees her cry, “Mine too.” </p><p> </p><p>Her head shoots up quick and shocked, “What? Really?”</p><p> </p><p>He nods, eyes trained on the moon, “Same night I got my scar. My dad was drunk and angry when we were driving home. I was young, ten, I think, and Azula was crying, I was trying to cover her ears. They were fighting about me, I had done something disrespectful, I think. My mom said that if he touched me, she would make him regret it. My mom was always really strong, willing to protect me and Azula, no matter the cost, even if she didn’t always succeed. She threatened to expose his whole money laundering scheme. He said ‘I will not hesitate to do what’s necessary.’ He wasn’t lying. She did something, said something, I can’t remember, but she pushed him too far. He swerved into oncoming traffic, and a truck hit me and mom’s side. My mom didn’t make it out, and somewhere in the crash, the car caught on fire. He left me and Azula in the burning car. I got her out, but I passed out before I could, hence the scar.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, her arms were around him, holding him tightly, “I’m so sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>His hand finds a spot running through her hair as she rests against his chest, “I’m sorry about your mom.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s hard, being there, isn’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>“I blame myself constantly, and I hate being alone in the car with my dad. The night he kicked me out, I was sure he was going to do it again.”</p><p> </p><p>He feels Katara take a deep breath against his chest, and she squeezes him again, holding him so close she’s almost in his lap, “The night before your exams, I almost knocked you out with a bat. It was just too similar to that night.”</p><p> </p><p>He remembers that night, the night she comforted him. The night she told him she wouldn’t let him go back, and that she believed in him. It was short, their conversation, but it resonated in him. Besides Uncle, he had never had someone <em> care </em>so intensely for him to succeed. “Oh.”</p><p> </p><p>He felt something wet fall on his shirt, and he almost looked up to see if it was raining, but then he heard it. A small sob, a sound that contrasts everything he thought about her. Katara is strong and passionate, and loving. Katara would always throw herself in danger if it meant getting someone else out of it. The girl he held in his arms was a broken and grieving kid, just like him. “I was so scared.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Katara was seven at the time, Sokka was eight. Their father had been gone on some mission not three weeks when the night came. It was a different house than they currently lived in, a smaller one, an older one. So small, in fact, Katara and Sokka shared a room with their Gran Gran. Katara remembers waking up in the middle of the night in Sokka’s bed, she had had a nightmare and he let her crawl into bed with him. Rubbing her eyes, she wandered out of his bed, careful not to wake him. She left their bedroom, hoping to go downstairs for a glass of water when she stopped. The window was open. She walked toward it, assuming Gran Gran had just left it open before she went to bed. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Then suddenly a hand closed over her mouth. </em>
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  <em> Fear rose through her as she prepared to scream, until she was turned around by her captor, and saw the same blue eyes staring back at her that she sees every day. The same ones she saw in the mirror. The soft features of her mother, familiar and comforting, but as young Katara stares at her, she sees the difference. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were wide and filled with fear. As she spoke to her daughter, she spoke in a whisper so quiet, Katara almost didn’t hear her, “Katara, I want you to go back into your room, and get Gran Gran and Sokka, and hide in the closet.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> For a reason Katara wasn’t aware of at the time, she felt tears threaten to spill as her throat tightened, “What-?”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Her mom didn’t even respond, simply grabbing her hand and quietly creeped back to her room. They woke Sokka and Gran-Gran up, and before they could even talk, she would shush them, silently begging them not to make a sound. The three of them were packed in the closet when a loud crash rang through the house, Katara yelping before covering her mouth, realizing how loud she was. Her mother closed her eyes, standing in front of the door, breathing shallow and quick, before she looked at her kids, tears steadily falling down her face. </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> “Do </em> <b> <em>exactly </em> </b> <em> as I say, okay? Don’t make a sound, and don’t come out until Mommy tells you, please? I love both of you, so much,” She cupped her children’s faces, kissing each on the forehead before she hugged Gran Gran. She looked back at the three again, before pulling them into a tight hug. Katara remembers silently crying into her mother’s warm embrace, part of her knowing this would be the last time she would be able to experience it. “Sokka, keep your sister safe,” Sokka nodded stiffly through his tears, and Katara remembers thinking about how much he looked like their father. “Goodbye.” </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em>It was dark in the closet, and the sound was muffled as it passed through the door. Gran-Gran held both kids as they sat on the ground, trying to muffle their sobs. Their mom never tells them to come out. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>As Katara tells Zuko her story, he is completely silent, listening as he rubs her back. As she finishes her story, she finally gathers the courage to look up at him, only to see him staring at the ocean. A tear falls from his good eye, sympathy, and sadness painted clearly on his face. He doesn’t need to say anything, and neither does she. A mutual understanding of pain and grief, a need for silence and comfort. They hold each other in their arms, finding comfort in the other’s warmth.</p><p>
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</p><p>The next day is spent at the pier, celebrating the Fire Days Festival. They get masks that they wear all day, and shitty yet amazing tasting fair food. Zuko forces everyone to try his favorite dish, flaming fire flakes, laughing as Sokka freaks out over how hot it is. Walking in a group, they gush over the decorations and many acts that happened around them. They stop at stalls, and Sokka tries to impress Suki by winning her the big jackalope, and he does win it at the dart balloon game, but Suki also won the big moose lion at the basketball toss, so they just trade. On the other hand, Katara won a big turtle duck at the water shooter, and once Zuko mentions that they are his favorite animal, she doesn’t hesitate to give it to him, even when he tries to refuse. Aang wins a bison in a ring toss game, and Toph nearly cleans some dude’s stall in one of those hammer-bell games. </p><p> </p><p>Hands to the brim with badly made stuffed animals, and food dipped in grease and sugar, laughs and voices speaking over each other, they walk past performers and stalls and other teenagers just like them. Bright lights, and moving machines, and happiness as they head back home. As the sun sets, Katara feels the end of the summer in her bones. Their freedom coming to an end, they have less than a week after they get back, it’s back to high school and school work and exams and getting up at 5 A.M.. Yet, she can’t bring herself to be upset over any of it, she can’t seem to tear the smile from her face. She’s just too happy with where she is, with her friends, walking and talking and being teenagers.</p><p> </p><p>The group ends up sitting on the private beach, limbs tangled together as if part of some unfinished puzzle, watching colorful fireworks explode against a canvas of black and white pinpricks. Katara lays her head on her brother’s shoulder as Suki sits between his legs. Toph’s head lay in her lap, and Aang sits using her legs as back support. Finally, Zuko sits back to back with Katara, his shoulder to Sokka’s back, constantly having to shoo away Aang’s feet. They make jokes and point as fire dances across the sky.</p><p> </p><p>Katara feels warmth bloom in her chest as Zuko and her hand's brush, and in the shadow of her brother’s back, she links pinkies with him. No one notices the two, or their hands slowly intertwining, or their giddy smiles as a firework explodes in the sky, painting them in red.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Blue Spirit and The Painted Lady</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>With Zuko now going to Ba Sing Se, things don't quite go as planned as Katara and Zuko's relationship comes to a head</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ba Sing Se was normal, and for the first time in his life, Zuko felt like an ordinary teenager. At Sozin High, there was always intense amounts of pressure, mainly from his dad, to be perfect. To get 100’s in every class, to be the captain of every sport, to be the image of excellence and perfection. Because of that, most of his time there, he spent alone, always behind a book or a camera. He quickly learned that his senior year would be nothing like that.</p><p> </p><p>He mainly had classes with Suki and Sokka, since they are also seniors, but every other day, he had a class with others in the group. AP Bio with Katara, gym with Toph, and AP Psychology with Aang. But, the cream of the crop was AP Art, which they all had together. The class was taught by an eccentric man who everyone called Bumi, who would essentially let students have free range of material, with no core lesson plans. As he said at the beginning of class every day, “Go make art,” then let kids do whatever they wanted. It was his favorite class.</p><p> </p><p>Point is, Zuko was never quite alone. He always had someone in a class with him. When walking to class, he would walk with someone in the gang, dropping them off early at their class than walking to his own or vise versa. Mornings were spent sitting in or on Appa, or, as the wind started to grow colder, sandwiched on a table in the lower cafeteria. Lunches were always spent together, either shoved in the back of Appa going to some fast food place or sitting in Bumi’s classroom. Half his school days are spent texting in their ever-changing gang’s group chat currently titled “CabbageCore🥬✨” </p><p> </p><p>After school, Zuko joined Ba Sing Se’s fencing team, soccer team, and basketball team, opting out of the cooking club in favor of spending more hours working at<em> The Jasmine Dragon </em>. As much as he was a monster on the soccer field, it is amplified as he, Aang, and Sokka team up, becoming unbeatable, the same goes for basketball. Katara, Suki and Toph, and sometimes Sokka, if he’s not playing, would sit in the stands, cheering for them. He’s also dragged to Aang’s football games and Toph’s wrestling meets when they start up, the entire group going to support their friends.</p><p> </p><p>And his friends, he honestly doesn’t think he deserves to be surrounded by them half the time. He expected that he wouldn’t be accepted with open arms, after all, he was ‘The Fire Prince’, he expected the whispers, and the glares and the rumors. What he didn’t expect was that his friends would back him so quickly. When people whispered or glared at him, they would glare right back. If anyone even mentioned the rumor around them, they would shut it down as easy as breathing. He doesn’t know what he did so they would like him as much as he does, but he’s so glad they are in his life.</p><p> </p><p>They still hang out every Saturday, he even invited Azula, Ty Lee and Mai one day. Everyone involved was a little skeptical, but it didn’t end badly, not in the slightest, in fact, Katara and Azula got along rather well once they started talking about Volleyball, but he’s a little scared of the smile Katara gave him when he found out that Azula calls ‘Zuzu’. Speaking of Azula, he thinks he is slowly convincing Azula that she has a home at Iroh’s. It took a lot of convincing, including spending time with her at <em> The Jasmine Dragon </em> after school, a couple of calls from Lu Ten, who Azula is very fond of him, telling her how much he would love it if they lived together, and a night when their father was out of town and she stayed with them.</p><p> </p><p>All in all, his life has been great, except for one thing. Ah yes, the one teensy thing that had been making his blood boil, and want to commit an act that he might go to jail for. Katara has a boyfriend.</p><p> </p><p>Around the beginning of October, a senior who was in their AP Bio class came up to her after class and asked her on a coffee date, and she said yes. Zuko immediately recognized him as Haru, a dude who is on the soccer team with him, Aang, and Sokka. “You aren’t seriously thinking of going out with him, are you?” Zuko asks, jogging to meet up with her in the hallway.</p><p> </p><p>She doesn’t quite meet his eyes, instead focusing on her phone, where she is saving his number, “I mean why not? He’s nice and cute, and it’s not like I’m dating anyone.” For some reason, her last sentence stings, but then again, she sounded pretty bitter when she said it.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, come Katara, you don’t even know the dude!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yea, that’s why we’re going out for coffee, to get to know each other. I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal about this.”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, he’s on the soccer team, and I’ve just heard some rumors about him, and I don’t think you should go out with him, is all,” In all honesty, Zuko hasn’t heard any rumors about him. In fact, from what he knew about him, Haru seemed like a good guy. All he knew was that he had this weird heat in his stomach when he thought about them together. He knew what it was, maybe he just didn’t want to admit it.</p><p> </p><p>“Listen, <em> Zuko </em>,” She suddenly stopped and turned around to face him, a glare accompanied the anger that dripped off his name, and that is when he knew he had messed up. “You’re my friend, but you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do! If you don’t like it, then get over it. I’m going with him on Friday.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, she stomped away, leaving Zuko standing in the hall alone, everyone staring at him. <em> Damn it! </em></p><p> </p><p>The next few days were tense, to say the least. When the gang hung out, Zuko and Katara didn’t speak to each other, and if they did, it would just end in an argument. By the time Friday rolled around, the burning in Zuko’s chest hadn’t ceased in the slightest, in fact, it had gotten worse. Zuko pulled up to school on his motorcycle, a gift from Iroh for his birthday, in time to see Sokka, Suki, Aang, and Katara load out Appa, and Zuko’s breath got sucked out of his throat.</p><p> </p><p>Most of the time Katara just wore jeans, and don’t get him wrong, he thought she looked beautiful no matter what she wore, but today she looked positively stunning. She wore a light blue blouse tucked into a dark blue skirt, finally with light blue thigh high socks and her normal dark blue vans. Over it, all was a jean jacket that looked like it is Sokka’s, her double braids falling over the white wool collar. He’s stunned as he walks towards his friends, unable to stop himself from staring.</p><p> </p><p>The butterflies that filled his stomach quickly dropped dead as he overheard her mention that Haru would be taking her out right after school. Flames ate him alive as he turned right back to his bike, needing a second to collect himself. The worst part? Not only did Katara <em> invite </em> Haru to eat lunch with them in Bumi’s classroom, but normally, the class he looked forward to was ruined too, and that day in AP Bio, Katara sat next to Haru instead of him. He spent the entire day seething, and by the time he saw them pull out in Haru’s obnoxious green Jeep from where he straddled his bike, he was ready to have a break and work with Iroh today.</p><p> </p><p>He’s about ten minutes into his shift when he sees it. A green Jeep parked in front of <em> The Jasmine Dragon</em>, and Katara nervously smiling walking through the door Haru was holding open for her. Despite the fact that she’s here with someone else, they make eye contact and everything else around them disappears, and the way she’s looking at him, he thinks she feels the same way. Then he over steams the milk and it splashes everywhere and their little spell is broken. He’s whipping away the milk as he watches Katara say something to Haru before he walks away, finding them a window seat.</p><p> </p><p>She walks up to the counter, and they just stand there for a second, her hands following the movement as he wipes his hand on a towel before she blurts out, “I honestly had no clue he was bringing me here, Zuko. Listen, if you want, I can convince him to go somewhere else-”</p><p> </p><p>He looks at her, at how nervous she looks, and immediately regrets every decision he has made the last few days, “No, Katara, it’s- it’s okay. I’m sorry I’ve been a dick the last couple of days, you can obviously see whoever you want. I’m just an idiot.”</p><p> </p><p>She glances at him once again, before she smiles at him as if he hung the stars and the moon, and he swears he melts, “You are an idiot, but you’re <em> my </em>idiot, so I obviously have to forgive you. So we’re good?”</p><p> </p><p><em> If I did hang the stars and moon, I did it for you</em>. “Yea, we’re good. Unless he orders some Starbucks bullshit, then I’ll have to kick his ass,” She laughs at him and he smiles at her before she orders a boba for him, and before she can say anything else, he cuts her off, “Nope, I want to surprise you today. Don’t worry, I got you, free of charge.”</p><p> </p><p>“Zuko, you don’t have to-”</p><p> </p><p>“Nope, take it as me making it up for being the worst. It’s fine.” He makes their drinks just fine and pretends it an accident when he underboils the tapioca balls. In no time at all, he brings over their drinks, deciding to go with a new spiced apple cider drink he had been working on for Katara, along with some pumpkin bread Iroh made this morning. </p><p> </p><p>Despite how cool with it he was trying to be, it didn’t quite work. Every time she would laugh, or they would brush fingers when they shared the pumpkin bread, every time he would see Haru bump his foot against hers under the table. Every time he would smile at her and she would smile back, every time he touched her, every time she would play with the bottom of her braid, every time she would nudge him or wink. To make matters worse, it had to be at <em> that </em> table, <em> their </em>table.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> She sits on top of the table after closing, Zuko just finishing up as she sucks up the last of her drink, “Okay, okay, never have I ever rode a motorcycle.” </em>
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  <em> He gasps dramatically, nearly dropping his mop, “You’re kidding! How could you not tell me? Oh, I have to take you on a spin on my new bike!” He walks up to her hands on her shoulders, a deadly serious look on his face, ‘You’re going to love it.” </em>
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  <em> “Sokka would kill you and then me, he doesn’t want me anywhere near that ‘deathtrap on wheels’,” She laughs, shoving his shoulder. Only when he stumbles back does he realize that he was situated perfectly between her legs. </em>
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  <em> “He doesn’t have to know,” His voice comes out far more breathy and charged then he means for it too. The atmosphere in the closed café quickly changes, the air becoming thick and electrified. He realizes how easy it would be to kiss her, to brush her hair away softly, to feel her hands on him- </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>“<strong>Zuko</strong>!</em>” Iroh yells, quickly running to where the espresso is overflowing, the smell of burnt coffee filling the air. Despite his uncle’s concerned looks, he can’t seem to tear his eyes away from where Haru traces the lines of Katara’s hand on the table. “What is with you today? This is the fourth drink you’ve messed up and you’re shift just started-”</p><p> </p><p>His heart feels like it found a place right next to his stomach, “I need a break.” He doesn’t even think as he stocks away to the break room. He’s pacing when Iroh comes in.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you need to talk about it?”</p><p> </p><p>“Katara is on a date. Like right now, with that dude out there, and I’m-I’m not happy about it. I had been a complete dick-”</p><p> </p><p>“Language-”</p><p> </p><p>“Recently, because ever since he asked her out I’ve had this heat in my stomach that’s some weird mix of anger and sadness. And I said I was fine with it, which is true because I can’t tell her who to see and what to do, plus I want her to be happy, and if Haru is that then that’s good! But I’m not fine with it, I’m very <em> not </em> fine with it, and I so badly want to kick him out and get him as far away from Katara as possible, because, because-” <em> Come on, you can say it. It’s just you and Iroh. You can say it. </em> “I want that to be me. I like Katara, like a lot, and I’m jealous that Haru gets to be with her the way I want to be. <em> I </em> want to make her laugh, and brush hands with her as we share food and steal sips of each other’s drink. <em> I </em>want to be the one to open the door for her and tell her how pretty she looks and take her for rides on the back of my bike. But I can’t because Sokka is my best friend, and I wouldn’t risk that for the world, and it’s definitely a rule that you can’t date your best friend’s little sister. It’s just so hard because she’s so amazing and I-I-” He finally stops pacing, slumping down on the couch, “I like her so much.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Katara very much did <em> not </em>have a boyfriend, in fact, after that one coffee date, Katara and Haru didn’t go out again. In all honesty, she didn’t even really like Haru all that much. Don’t get her wrong, he’s cute and nice, but she definitely was still caught up on a different senior. Haru was a distraction, one that didn’t even work, to be honest, and wasn’t worth any more of her time.</p><p> </p><p>Her and Zuko were fine now, after he apologized that day, they were completely back to normal, they were probably closer than before, actually. So, when Aang suggested everyone dressed up as characters from <em> The Sun Warrior’s </em>they had no problem saying yes, even when Aang suggested that she be The Painted Lady and Zuko be The Blue Spirit. In the comic, and now series, the pair were enemies, but as time went on and they started working together, they become more romantically charged and quickly took the roll as the number one, fan favorite ship.</p><p> </p><p>On the other hand, Aang dresses up as The Dragon Of The West, Toph is The Blind Bandit, Sokka is The Piandao Swordsman and Suki is The Rangi Warrior. They all spend most of October creating their costumes, but Katara put special care into hers. From what she had seen of The Painted Lady in the show, she loved what she stands for, and how she helps people no matter what. Aang is the first to show up at their house, his costume without flaw or inconsistency to the original, then Toph and Suki, both costumes clearly homemade but clearly showing effort. Suki is helping her with her facepaint when the doorbell rings, and she rushes out, grabbing her hat and veil as she runs. </p><p> </p><p>She pulls open the door and is met with a dark figure and a soft, “<em>Wow.</em>” Zuko stands in the doorway in all black, but a detailed and accurate mask on his face, clearly handmade, as well as a fake sword strapped to his back. She can’t help but let her eyes linger on the tight black shirt he’s wearing, <em> wow indeed</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright Mr. <em> Sun Warrior’s </em>nerd, what do you think of my costume?” She spins, a ripped red flowing dress with a rope tied into a harness around her waist and chest flowing around her. The deep red fabric hangs off her shoulders showing a brighter red halter top, as well as paint that dances across her skin. The dress has one big slit in the front, showing off her tall black boots. Her hair is down and her face makeup is done, and slightly hidden by her hat, as well as the tool that hangs from it, a strap around her chin so that it can hang around her neck if she gets tired of wearing it.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, I mean you look, <em> wow,</em>” She smiles at him, her blush almost the same color as her face paint, and grabs his hand, dragging him inside to where everyone else was standing around in the kitchen. They force their dad to take pictures of the group, various poses ranging from character accurate, to silly, to just them, for they all pile into Appa and head toward The Boulder’s, a senior who is on the wrestling team with Toph, house. The dude always throws the best parties, so when they got invited because of Toph and Sokka, everyone was excited. When they pulled up to the house, the party was in full swing.</p><p> </p><p>Teenagers in both half-assed and extravagant costumes loiter outside of the house, the sound of a popular song currently playing so loud it shook the ground. Shitty beer cans lay on the lawn, mixed with crushed red solo cups and destroyed pumpkins. The group immediately heads to the kitchen, everyone getting a drink except Aang, who is their DD. Sokka drags Suki to the dance floor immediately, screaming something about grinding on her, which makes her laugh, and runs with him. Katara and Toph respond with fake gagging immediately, but both have a fond smile on their face, that is until The Boulder finds out Toph is here and challenges her to a pumpkin smashing contest in the backyard, to which <em> of course </em>she says yes too. Aang runs out to meet her, and Katara is about to follow when she feels someone grab her hand.</p><p> </p><p>She looks up to see the blank eyes and the blue and white face of the Blue Spirit, but as she hears Zuko’s voice, she can hear his sheepish smile, “Dance with me?”</p><p> </p><p>“You want to dance with me?” She yells over the blasting bass.</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing would make me happier.”</p><p> </p><p>She nods, and the pair walks towards the dance floor, and they are immediately joined by Suki and Sokka. People drift in and out, sometimes it’s three of them, for a portion of time it was all six of the gang. Katara finds that she loves dancing with Zuko, the feeling of hands and moving in time with the beat that pulses through her blood, and despite the fact that she can’t see his face, she knows he’s smiling as big as she is.</p><p> </p><p>They take small breaks, get drinks, talk to people they know, smash pumpkins in the backyard, karaoke, and play an intense, house-wide game of Mafia, which Zuko wins. But later in the night, Katara drags Zuko away from the ‘fanbase’ he got from winning and brings him to the dance floor with her. She blames her tipsiness for her boldness, but she slings her arms around his neck and starts moving against him in time to the music. She feels familiar hands on her hips, and Zuko starts to move against her as well.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, I hate that mask,” She says into the black holes where his honey-colored eyes should be.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I worked hard on this!” He exclaims, sounding absolutely scandalized.</p><p> </p><p>“And it looks great, there’s just one problem.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah? And what would that be?”</p><p> </p><p>She removes her hands from his shoulder and sets them on the side of the mask, cold wood replacing what should be warm skin. She uses one hand to lift the mask, keeping one on his cheek, and sets it on the top of his head, “I can’t see your face.”</p><p> </p><p>They stand there, moving in time together, staring into each other’s eyes, hands holding each other, and at the same time, they both rush forward, lips crashing.</p><p> </p><p>The kiss is hard, and passionate, filled with want and desperation. His hands grip her waist, so hot it’s as if they were on fire, and they pull her closer. Her fingers find a home in his hair, tangling in the black strands behind the mask. As they adjust, her hat falls against her back, hanging around her neck as his hands creep up her body to hold her face. The kiss is all teeth and tongue, aggressive and <em> needing</em>, experimenting as hands and tongues explore, trying desperately to feel every inch, every sensation, every moment that they possibly could. He tastes like Kit Kats and shitty bear, and she tastes like lipstick, Sour Patch Kids, and vodka punch. </p><p> </p><p>She desperately needs this to never end. She feels like she’s getting high off him. Off the way his lips move against hers, the way his hands glide over her, the way he smells like campfire and sweat. Off the sound he makes when she pulls his hair just so, a sound that’s deep and throaty and <em> hot</em>. Off the way he says her name against her lips, as if it’s everything he could ever need. Off the way they work in tandem. Off the way he seems to know what to do and when to do it. Off the way that he reacts to her, the way he groans when she says his name, and the way he holds her tighter when she moans as his lips move across her jaw.</p><p><br/>It was everything she hoped it would be in more, every fantasy she had, every <em> almost </em> and <em> so close </em> she wished happened. She wants him, she <em> needs </em> him. At that moment, she can’t breathe, yet it feels like he is her air. As she pulls away, she sees her lipstick smudged across his lips as they separate, foreheads touching as their heavy breathes mix, and she smirks as they both lean back in. It’s selfish and juvenile, but she likes the fact that people could see that this happened, that he was hers.</p><p> </p><p>Katara swears, a bomb could go off and neither would notice. She’s wrong. </p><p> </p><p>The music stops, and the lights go out. Darkness surrounds them for a second, just long enough for the two to step away from each other in confusion, before everything is back up in running. As the lights come back on, realization hits. <em> I just made out with my brother’s best friend</em>. Zuko looks an absolute mess, and she’s sure she does too. People start dancing around them, but neither moves, too scared of what will happen next.</p><p> </p><p>His Blue Spirit mask is crooked on his head, and his hair is sticking up on all ends. The lipstick smudge she was once proud of now feels like a badge of shame. Everyone will know, including Sokka and Aang. His black turtleneck is now half untucked, a sliver of pale skin showing in his all-black attire, and she hates herself for the way her gaze lingers on it. <em> I can’t do this</em>. “I-I have to go, I’ll be in the car.”</p><p> </p><p>She runs through the crowd as fast as she can, ignoring as she hears Zuko call her name over the blaring music. She doesn’t stop running until she is safely seated in the passenger seat of Appa, and she doesn’t realize that somehow while she was running, tears started falling as well. <em> Oh</em>. </p><p> </p><p>She finds her bag in the backseat and takes out the makeup wipes, and uses the console mirror to whip off the face paint and running mascara, but she pauses as she reaches her lips, fingers trailing over the smudges of red around her mouth. She sighs as she whips it off completely. She’s not sitting in the car for ten minutes before the rest of the gang comes out and towards Appa. Everyone is laughing and joking except Zuko, who noticeably is now hidden behind the stoic Blue Spirit mask. They all pack in, Aang behind the wheel, and head off home, dropping people off as they go. The car ride is filled with laughter and jokes, but Katara and Zuko say nothing the entire trip.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. On Fire For You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Azula comes home, and Katara and Zuko finally deal with their shit (With some help from Sokka).</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you want max immersion, the song playing during the final scene of the chapter (Starts from when Zuko is closing The Jasmine Dragon) is  Fire For You by Cannons. I fully recommend listening while you read!</p><p>https://open.spotify.com/track/4o0LyB69tylqDG6eTGhmig</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko stopped hanging out with the group after Halloween. He started picking up more shifts at <em> The Jasmine Dragon </em>, so if anyone texted him he had an excuse not to go. And Uncle would give him these looks whenever he would ask for another shift, but he said nothing. At school, he stopped hanging out with them in the mornings and at lunch, instead favoring going out with Azula and her friends. He stopped sitting next to them in class, and if they did talk to him, they would only get quick, one-word answers, or excuses about running late for something he doesn’t really need to be at.</p><p> </p><p>He’s laying in bed thinking about what happened that night, long after Iroh had gone to bed, when the doorbell rings. Grumbling, he gets up and walks to the door, yanking it open. He’s about to start yelling about the time when he stops, coming face to face with a crying Azula. </p><p> </p><p>Azula stands under the broken moonlight, duffle bag in one hand, the other hand wiping away tears angrily. “Does that offer still stand?”</p><p> </p><p>He feels like he just got punched. He hasn’t seen Azula cry in a very long time, not since they were kids. He gets a stinging pain of guilt deep in his chest for leaving her. “Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>He lets her, opening the door and then locking it once she’s inside. She immediately starts walking upstairs, but instead of going into the guest room, the one she slept in if she ever stayed there, she throws her duffle bag then her body onto his bed. She doesn’t move when he sits next to her, eyes lazily following the fan that spins above them. He can’t quite bring himself to say anything to her just yet. He doesn’t want to push or pry too much, he knows how overwhelming it was when he left, and he didn’t even have a choice, he couldn’t even dream about how hard it must be for her. </p><p> </p><p>After a while, Azula is the one to break the silence. “You remember that cartoon we used to watch when we were kids? That one Pokémon rip-off?”  </p><p> </p><p>He can’t help but smile at the memory. They didn’t get along at all as kids, always antagonizing and yelling at each other, but there were moments where they did. Most of the moments stemmed from the fear of their father, but some of the moments had nothing to do with him. Just a dumb show that they both loved that, in all honesty, was probably pretty terrible, but they would cuddle up with each other every Sunday to watch it together. “Yeah, I do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you remember how I made a joke about how the main villain was like Dad, and when he heard us, I blamed it on you?”</p><p> </p><p>“No,” He does remember that, but more so, what came after.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think I ever apologized to you.”</p><p> </p><p>Turning to face her, he frowns. Her eyes still follow the fan as it spins, “We were just kids, I don’t blame you, Azula.”</p><p> </p><p>“You never watched that show with me again,” In all honesty, he did resent her for it at the time. For a long time actually, he blamed her for the actions of their father. As a kid, he said something to Iroh once, words he regrets because he should have known that Azula was just as scared of their father as he was. <em> Azula always lies</em>. He repeated it like a mantra, a way to get through the day. He blamed her when he could have blamed the person who was actually hurting him. He likes to think he’s changed, but based on how he’s pushing his friends away, he’s not so sure. </p><p> </p><p>“I think I should apologize too. I was a pretty shitty brother.”</p><p> </p><p>Azula sits up, tears no longer falling, and finally faces him, “Maybe we should just start over, act like the past never happened.”</p><p> </p><p>He looks back at eyes that are the same as his own, and he sees himself in her. Angry at the world, angry at yourself, angry at their father, angry at their mother, but buried beneath that mask of hatred and ruthlessness, is a kid, one that is sad and alone, one that is desperate for attention, for acceptance, for love. “No.” He watches her shoulders slump and her eyes downcast before he reaches up and touches her shoulder. Offering an olive branch, he answers, “I don’t want to throw out the good memories with the bad ones. I have sixteen years of history with you, I don’t want to erase that. We can have a good relationship without pretending the past didn’t happen, we’ve both changed and grown, and that’s enough.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
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</p><p>Zuko didn’t think this whole ‘living with Azula’ thing through. It should have been perfect. Iroh and Azula got along great without their father feeding her lies about Uncle, and she was the perfect roommate. She was clean, always did her dishes, never left a mess, always asked both him and Iroh if Ty Lee could come over, and asked for his laundry when she did hers. One thing he forgot though, she was still Azula. She was still a little shit who lived for drama, she still annoyed the shit out of him, occasionally they got into arguments at the dinner table, and he hated her, but it was in a siblingly way. It was nice, but then he remembered she was still <em> Azula</em>, which is why when he came home from work and saw Ty Lee and her sitting at the dinner table like they were disappointed parents, he knew he had messed up.</p><p> </p><p>Of <em> course</em>, Azula, the most intelligent and detail-oriented person ever, and Ty Lee, the most socially aware and considerate person he knew, would have figured it out. “Hey, guys,” He mumbled, trying to sound casual and a hundred percent failing. He watches their eyes follow him as he grabs some water, their hands folded on the table.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s Saturday,” Azula says as if it was an answer.</p><p> </p><p>“And?” Zuko snaps, fully aware of what’s going on.</p><p> </p><p>“You used to go to Aang’s house every Saturday, and I asked Iroh, you didn’t go last week either,” Azula’s face is stoic, as usual, and he feels his grip tighten around his glass.</p><p> </p><p>“I had work.”</p><p> </p><p>“Suki came up to me yesterday at gymnastic practice and asked about you,” Ty Lee says slowly and gently. His heart hits the floor. “She says you have been avoiding them. What happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing happened!” Zuko yells, but he’s always been a terrible liar, and based on the look they give him, that hasn’t changed. <em> That’s it, I give up! </em> He sighs, slumping down in a seat next to them, his water sloshing around as he slams his glass down, small droplets getting on the wood. “Okay, something happened.”</p><p> </p><p>Ty Lee reaches across the table, a soft and secure hand on top of his, “What happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“Me and Katara made out at a Halloween party.”</p><p> </p><p>He feels the silence settle over him like a blanket of snow before Azula speaks up, “Why is that a problem, I thought you liked her?”</p><p> </p><p>“I do! But after, she just ran away from me. I guess she doesn’t feel the same way, which is fine! I just, I don’t know, it’s really hard because I really like her, and now I feel like we can’t go back to the way we were. Plus I can’t look Sokka or Aang in the eye anymore because I <em> made out with my best friend’s little sister</em>! Plus, while we were at Ember Island, Aang told me he had a crush on her and I just completely betrayed him! I feel like I completely fucked up the whole group and they all hate me now!” He doesn’t know how it happened, but his emotions just start pouring out of him. Maybe he finally needed to talk to someone about what happened, maybe he just really missed them, he thinks it’s both. </p><p> </p><p>He slams his head on the table, taking solace in staring at the dark wood, “I <em> really </em>like her, but I don’t want to force anything on her. And I’m-I’m afraid that I might lose my best friends.”</p><p> </p><p>“Have you tried talking to them?” The tone Azula uses makes it clear that she thinks he is an idiot, and she’s right, but then he hears Ty Lee slap her arm before continuing to speak. “What I <em> mean </em> is, why worry about something that might never happen?” She slides a phone across the table, stopping as it touches his skin. “Start slow. Call Sokka, arrange a meeting, explain everything to him. If he’s truly your best friend, you’ll work it out.”</p><p> </p><p>He glances up at the girls across from him, Ty Lee beaming at him and Azula with a small, soft smile, “You think?”</p><p> </p><p>They nod, and push the phone a little closer, “Stop running from your shit, Zuzu.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
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</p><p>Katara couldn’t stop glancing at her phone, in fact, she had been doing this all week. Every time she would get a notification, she would dive for her phone only to have disappointment settle in her chest when she saw it wasn’t him. Guilt often settled right next to the disappointment every time he did text them because it was always a short excuse to ignore them. <em> Can’t, have work. I’m going off today. I have a make-up test. Go w/out me, I’m running late. </em></p><p> </p><p>“This is my fault,” She mumbles to herself, staring at the notification from Remind about Mr. Pakku’s homework. She buried her face into her pillow, repressing the urge to scream into the fabric, <em> I’m such an idiot!</em> She likes him, and she ruined it! When she stepped away from him (And his heat, and his hands, and his lips), she felt that guard go up, the one she created after Jet turned the whole grade against her, and she <em> ruined </em>it. She pushed him away in fear, fear of rejection, fear of being used, fear of betrayal, fear of being left, fear of him leaving, fear of ruining everything. So she pushed, and it all happened anyway.</p><p> </p><p>Zuko hadn’t talked to them in weeks, he avoided them at lunch and in the mornings. He didn’t come on Saturdays anymore. She missed him. She texted him three times, he didn’t respond to any of them. Suddenly the floor creaked next to her bed, and she lifted her head to see a serious-looking Sokka sitting cross-legged on her fur carpet. “I just got off the phone with Zuko.” She couldn’t read his voice as he picked at the carpet, but maybe she was just blinded by the sheer panic that courses through her.</p><p> </p><p>“Sokka, I am so sorry-”</p><p> </p><p>“Why are you apologizing?” </p><p> </p><p>A blush fills her face as she stares at the polaroid of the six of them that hangs on her wall, “I-um-well, at Halloween-”</p><p> </p><p>“Ew, I don’t wanna hear about it again!” Sokka yells, his hands waving wildly in the air.</p><p> </p><p>“So...he told you then.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes he told me, and at first, I was a little upset, I’m not going to lie. I mean, you’re my little sister! But, as you’ve made clear many times, you’re also your own person, and I’m not going to stop you from making your own decisions. If you like Zuko, don’t let me stop you, because he clearly likes you too.” She’s not quite sure what to say, so she shuffles off the bed and onto the floor and hugs him as hard as she can. She smiles when he hugs her back, “Please do it soon though because I miss hanging out with my best friend!”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, if you think about it, we’re even now. You and Suki and Me and Zuko,” She jokes as she squeezes him again before sitting next to him on the carpet.</p><p> </p><p>He groans, dramatically throwing himself backward, “I’m going to challenge Karma to a duel one day.”</p><p> </p><p>She laughs, it only lasts so long until fear curls in her belly. He sits up when he hears her stop, watching as she pulls her knees to her chest, “I’m scared, Sokka.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why?”</p><p> </p><p>“What about Aang? I’m going to break his heart and he’s never going to talk to me again! And what if me and Zuko don’t work out? You’ll lose him again and it will be my fault! There's just so much that could go wrong…”<br/><br/></p><p>“But it doesn’t have to! I mean, let’s be honest, Aang knows that you don’t see him that way, and it may take an adjustment period, but he’d never stop talking to <em>you, </em>he loves you too much for that. And, Katara, there’s nothing certain with anything you do, but that’s never stopped you before. Why not take the leap of faith?”</p><p>
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</p><p>It was Friday night, only a few hours after Zuko had called Sokka, and he was currently cleaning up at <em> The Jasmine Dragon. </em>It wasn’t long after closing, but throughout his entire shift, he just kept looking at his phone, so it felt like it was forever. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Angry texts from the gang, Katara to text him, a notification that an asteroid was going to crash into the sun and end it all, he honestly wasn’t sure which he wanted the most. Death sounded pretty nice right now, in all honesty. His conversation went pretty well with Sokka, and after some intense threats about treating Katara right, he seemed really supportive of them. He doesn’t doubt that the rest of the gang knows about everything now, which scares him, badly.</p><p> </p><p>He’s whipping down the tables when he hears the small bell over the door chime. He curses himself for not locking up first and turns around, customer service voice in full swing as he turns around, “I’m sorry, we closed a little bit…” </p><p> </p><p>He feels his words die in his mouth as he sees her, standing in the doorway of his café. She’s staring at him, teeth digging into her lip as she stands there awkwardly, “Make me a drink?”</p><p> </p><p>He nods without even thinking, his legs moving before he can even process that she’s <em> here</em>. He takes twice as long as he normally would making two chai lattes because he keeps getting distracted by her. She’s wearing a cropped baggy knit sweater, the loft lavenders contrasting her dark skin, with baggy jeans and a chain belt. He watches her white, blue, and purple sneakers tap across his floors and sit at a booth. He brings the two drinks over to the table, noting that the other bench is taken up by cleaning supplies, forcing him to sit next to her, and wonders if she did it on purpose.</p><p> </p><p>They sit, shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, as they sip their drinks, slowly nodding along to the indie playlist that plays through the speakers. Her hair is down. He holds his mug a little tighter to stop himself from reaching over and running his hands through it. “I’ve missed you the last couple weeks,” falls out instead.</p><p> </p><p>She only chews on her lips harder at that. “You’re the one who stopped coming around,” She whispers into the lip of her drink. </p><p> </p><p>He watches her movements, equally elegant and awkward in the dorkiest and most endearing way possible, “I was scared.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of what?”</p><p> </p><p>She’s looking at him now, and he feels the air get sucked out of his lungs. Her eyes are intensely blue, filled with anticipation and hope. Zuko places his mug down softly, no longer able to hold back his urges. His fingers brush past her temple, slowly placing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His hand doesn’t leave her face, instead finding a resting place cupping her cheek. She leans into his touch. “Of how much I like you.”</p><p> </p><p>She smiles at him, a smile that is soft and sweet and all the more haunting because he <em> knows</em>. He knows how his lips feel against his, he knows how she tastes, and how she feels, and how she sounds. She set down her cup as well. “Funny, I came here to say the same thing.” Her voice is low and soft, filled with fondness and peace. She is so close.</p><p> </p><p>“Can I, can I kiss you, Katara?” He feels like a kid, asking to hold his crush’s hand on the swing set. </p><p> </p><p>Her smile just widens, and if he wasn’t bewitched by her before, the feeling of her hand trailing up his arm before resting at the nape of his neck definitely put him under her spell. “I would like nothing more, Zuko.”</p><p> </p><p>This kiss was nothing like Halloween. Halloween was quick and rough and passionate. It was desperate, and needing, and selfish. It was rushed and slightly tipsy and filled with the heat. It was smudged makeup, and messy costumes, and feeling the intense bass mix with their heartbeats. This kiss was nothing like spin the bottle. Spin the bottle was hesitant and unsure and cautious. It was nervous and shaky hands and an audience. It was filled with questions, and the feeling of stone digging into his knees and too fast-beating hearts. </p><p> </p><p>This kiss was none of those things, but it was equally amazing as the others.</p><p> </p><p>This kiss was slow and soft and meaningful and trusting. It was gentle and caring and considerate. It was filled with warmth and promises, and words of love and admiration left unsaid. It was the taste of chai lattes and knit sweaters and soft skin. It was goosebumps as she played with the ends of his hair and feet knocking underneath the table, and smiling lips. It was the smell of her, saltwater and fire lilies, and him, firewood and coffee, mixing pleasantly in the tiny space between them. It was her fingers brushing his scar, and him trusting her enough to not flinch. It was a confession, it was the yearning, and the pinning, and the stolen looks, and the secret gestures in the moonlight. It was the indie music playing softly over the speakers, soft synth, and the words <em> I was on fire for you </em>repeating. </p><p> </p><p>It was the forehead touch, the breaths mingling as Zuko just couldn’t bring himself to look away from her. It was blue eyes that looked like crashing waves and it was gold eyes that looked like the sunset. It was gentle hands holding each other as if they were holding the world in their grasp. It was Zuko’s thumb slowly swaying back and forth on her cheek, and it was Katara’s fingers playing with the ends of his apron. It was peace and pleasure, and the start of something beautiful and heartfelt. </p><p> </p><p>“I know Sokka probably already told you this, but he made me promise to say it one more time,” She leans back, clears her throat, then does the worst impression of her brother he had ever seen. “If you ever hurt Katara, I will make you regret it! Got it!?”</p><p> </p><p>The pair burst into laughter, Katara laughing so hard she snorts, and Zuko slamming his fist on the wood hard enough to splash chai latte on it. By the time they calm down again, they are close again, mere inches away. He ends up holding her face between his hands, staring at her as she finishes giggling, the biggest, most lovestruck smile glued to his face. When she finally notices the action, she leans into his hand, closing her eyes and smiling to herself, completely content. When she opens her eyes again, she’s met with burning gold eyes. Eyes like flames, filled with passion and determination, “Got it. But I won’t.” </p><p> </p><p>She beams at him, mumbling “You’re such a dork,” before leaning in again.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's Christmas time! Lu Ten is home and the gang celebrates by giving Zuko an early Christmas gift.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! It's your friendly neighborhood author here, and I just wanted to thank everyone for reading and (Hopefully) enjoying my story! This is the first fic I wrote that was a multichapter and this long, so this was a trip. This is the final chapter, so I hope you like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A couple of days before Christmas Eve, <em> The Jasmine Dragon </em> is closed, but it is far from empty. As snow falls heavily outside, a happy family sits huddled around a table, or, more accurately, multiple tables pushed together to make one big table. The closed café is lit up with candles and Christmas lights and smiles. An assortment of different dishes and drinks line that table, each member of the little family bringing something different to the table. If you were to walk inside the frost-covered shop, you would hear yelling and laughter and overlapping conversations and Christmas songs that no one was really listening to.</p><p> </p><p>It was the last day everyone could get together before new years, since Aang was going to celebrate in the mountains with his adoptive dad and Toph’s parents were dragging her somewhere sunny to ‘beat the cold’, much to their daughter’s chagrin. So they decided to celebrate Christmas early at the shop, everyone bringing their own dish and dessert. And the best gift of all, Lu Ten was back for the holidays, sitting between Azula and Zuko. Azula and Zuko argued for days over who would get to pick him, both wanting to be the first person to hug their favorite cousin (Also their only cousin, but they loved him so much that they thought he still deserved the title). Iroh settled the dispute by saying both of them would take his car to pick him up, which they belligerently agreed to, because it’s Iroh. At the airport Lu Ten ran at them, picking both siblings up in a big bear hug. </p><p> </p><p>Lu Ten loved living with them, and he treated both of them like his younger siblings in both the best and worst way possible. When Zuko had Katara in his room, he barged in loudly, fake scandalized by the fact that the door was closed. He threw a pillow at him, blushing and yelling at him to get out as Katara died laughing next to him. When Azula had Ty Lee over, Lu Ten was almost as bad as Iroh, pulling out embarrassing story after embarrassing story. He always ruffled the siblings’ hair as he walked by, and they would yell at him when he walked away laughing. He teased them effortlessly, but Azula was always quick with a retort, whether she’s defending herself or Zuko. He hogged the remote and played his music too loud when he showered and would annoy them to no end, and they loved every second of it.</p><p> </p><p>Lu Ten picked up shift’s at the café, happily serving customers next to a reluctant and grumpy-looking Azula and Zuko. He happily meets the gang, getting along the best with Sokka and Toph, who jokes about trading in Zuko for him. He teases Zuko for making Katara an extra special drink and jokes with Azula about the fact that she can’t make a drink more complicated than an iced coffee. When snow starts falling and the shop starts smelling like peppermint and gingerbread, the group plans to hang out a couple of days before Christmas, and Lu Ten is fast to volunteer to join.</p><p> </p><p>So they all sit, Azula and Zuko’s friends and family mixing seamlessly. Aang sits at the head of the table, with Mai to his left and Ty Lee on his right. Next to Ty Lee, Azula sits, arm around her girlfriend’s chair, head resting on her shoulder. Then comes Lu Ten, who talks to Zuko and Katara, who sits to his left and are not so subtly holding hands under the table. Across from Katara and Zuko sits Suki and Sokka, each across from their best friend, Suki’s feet resting in her boyfriend’s lap. Next to Sokka and across from his son, Iroh sits, happily chatting with Toph. </p><p> </p><p>They are finishing up dessert, loud conversations dying down to pleasant chatting and complaining about how full they are. Zuko and Lu Ten had made Christmas drinks for everyone while they snacked on the cookies the gang brought. Katara and Zuko had done most of the baking, while the rest of the gang decorated. By the end, Aang’s kitchen was covered in flour, icing, sprinkles, and finished gingerbread and sugar cookies. They all laughed at each other's designs (“Toph, yours are terrible!”, “I’m blind, what’s your excuse!” She defends as the girl continues to dump sprinkles on the cookie.)</p><p> </p><p>Katara tugs on his hand, before announcing, “We’re going to steal Zuko away for just a second, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>They don’t wait for an answer as the gang all gets up, gathering coats and hats, before heading outside. The group huddles outside in front of Appa, Zuko looking rather confused at his friends, “What’s going on?” They all smile to themselves before Aang pulls out a gift-wrapped box and hands it to him, “I thought we were waiting to do Secret Santa when you guys got back?”</p><p> </p><p>“This is something a little more important, Sparky. Just open it!” Toph yells, rubbing her glove covered hands together.</p><p> </p><p>He raises an eyebrow before unwrapping the packages and opening it, only to find a red Sharpie placed delicately inside, “What’s this?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, as you know, we’ve all drawn on the inside of Appa, and we want you too as well. Sadly, we don't think we’re getting rid of you anytime soon, so we figured we’d make it official,” Sokka explains, handing Zuko the keys.</p><p> </p><p>He feels an uncontrollable smile cover his face, before rushing into the van. He sits in the back of the van, Katara next to him and the rest of the gang in the piles into open seats, his hand brushing the only empty spot on Appa’s interior. While he uncaps the Sharpie with his teeth, Sokka turns on the van, turning up the AC and the radio, Do They Know It’s Christmas playing through the slightly fuzzy speakers. He traces images of flames and crossed swords and a disposable coffee cup.</p><p> </p><p>He’s in the middle of drawing a dragon when he notices Katara pulled out a blue Sharpie, the same color as the waves and flowers around them. “Mind if I help?” At the bottom of his section, snuggled up against the red sun he had drawn, she draws a blue crescent moon. “Like it?” He loves the way she smiles at him, and he loves even more that she saves that smile just for him. </p><p> </p><p>He can’t help but reach over, kissing her softly, “I love it.”</p><p> </p><p>Their small moment of bliss doesn’t last long, not before Toph yells “Boo! Get a room!”</p><p> </p><p>The rest of the gang laughs, and Katara blushes and places her forehead on his shoulder, “I’m going to kill her one day.” </p><p> </p><p>He laughs at his girlfriend’s antics, patting her head mockingly, not unlike what she did at the ice cream parlor all those months ago. He sits in the van, hands covered in red Sharpie and Katara practically in his lap, and watches his friends laugh and joke. He glances at <em> The Jasmine Dragon</em>, watching Uncle, Azula, and Lu Ten laugh with each other. He watches his sister smile at Ty Lee as she talks before she looks up, seeing him through the glass, and her smile only grows as she waves at him. He laughs as she playfully flips him off, sticking out her tongue, and he returns the gesture. He feels warm and happy, and complete for the first time in his entire life, he thinks. He wishes he could freeze time and keep this moment forever, but he knows there will be other moments, other times where he feels this way, because they are all there for him now, and he wouldn’t give that up for the world. </p>
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